


Star Wars: Shattered Peace

by Captain_Kiri_Storm



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Clone Troopers - Freeform, Empire, F/M, He's Borderline Immortal, It's My Life, Medical Experimentation, Medical Torture, Memory Loss, Non-Graphic Rape/Non-Con, Old Enemies Become Friends, Order 66, Rebellion, Rebels, Star Wars - Freeform, Torture, Truce--For Now, reckless, reconditoning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-31
Updated: 2016-07-22
Packaged: 2018-05-30 08:32:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 39
Words: 34,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6416407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Captain_Kiri_Storm/pseuds/Captain_Kiri_Storm
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ahsoka Tano didn't know what she was singing up for when she went out of her way to recruit the remaining free clones. Some of them were agreeable to their old general.<br/>Others, one bar've in particular, have had enough of battle. He knows his duty, but he refuses.<br/>And Rex wants to kill him.<br/>This particular clone was also tortured on Kamino. On orders of Lord Vader. He's been made a Force-user. He trusts no one, likes no one, wants to be around no one, and is quite flippant to boot. Clones tend to have long memories and this one is no different. He believes that he's useless. A nothing. A traitor worthy only to die.<br/>Ahsoka thinks he has potential. (He thinks the Jedi got hit on the head one too many times)<br/>But to unlock it, this unlucky clone has to over come a host of brothers who want to kill him.<br/>And, of course, the Empire wants their proto-Inquisitor back.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Forgotten Memories

The clone trooper slung his pack over his back as he walked down the lonely streets. Here, he was alone. Just himself, living on his wits. Freedom. No one breathing down his neck, chaining him to a table, making him so sick he felt like he was going to die--

The trooper caught himself and roughly shook his head.

_Can't think like that. It's over and done. I'm free of that. I'm right here. Right now. Looking for something..._

He wasn't sure what. The trooper didn't know. And hadn't known. Not for a while, actually. He'd just woken up one day with a yearning. That yearning had caused him to stab six guards ( _Killed the bastard who hurt me. Don't think the other word._ ), climb six walls, and scramble over a razor wire fence. Not without injury. A few broken ribs and gashes that really required stitches were a small price to pay for his freedom. He had survived. Just like he survived Kamino with his mind intact. The Kamies had wanted to "recondition" him. To the clone trooper, who no longer remembered his name or number, it had been torture. Hence him killing a bastard.

_Why am I still alive?_

He shook his head. The clone trooper caught sight of himself in a shop window. Hazel eyes and dark hair stared back. He touched the scar on his cheek. It meant something, but he wasn't sure what. The clone sighed. He'd looked at himself more times than not, trying to figure out who he was. Was he "Traitor"? Like the Kaminoans had called him. But wasn't "traitor" a bad word? Why would he be traitor? He hadn't betrayed his brothers....had he? Was his name "Traitor"? Or was he the brother in his memories (or what was left of them)? The brother with the teardrop tattoo under his eye...

He touched the blank spot under his eye. He wasn't that brother. He was someone else. The clone trooper just didn't know who.

_Who am I?_

His head swam with a few hazy memories. The Kaminoans had wanted to strip him of his personality. When that failed ( _Too damn stubborn_ ), they did...things...to him. The tables. The pain. The agony. Then the unlocked door and his headlong flight to freedom. But he didn't know his name.

"Hey! Move it!" A Twi'lek pushed the trooper, aiming his thumb at a sign. "No loitering!"

He hadn't noticed the sign, but the clone nodded. "I am sorry, sir."

"You had better be!" The Twi'lek shoved the clone again, whacking him on the head. "You stupid? Get out!"

The clone nodded and slowly walked away. He didn't know where he was going. Only that he was hungry and his ration bars had ran out yesterday. That meant he was down to stealing food. And he was hungry. The clone swallowed. Stealing went against his programming but he had been ~~bent over~~ hurt once. He wasn't doing that again. Not if he could help it.

He leaned against a cold brick wall finally, playing with the leather bracers on his wrist. He kept his scars covered. They hurt if he played with them. He knew this because he'd done it. Some days, pain was the only thing real to him. But the rumble in his belly was real. He had to eat, had to find food. He wanted to, actually.

Something was calling out to him. The clone only wished he knew _what_.


	2. We've Got a Long Way to Go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ahsoka feels guilty over destroying an Imperial weapon's plant, Rexsoka happens, and the boys (lead by Jay and Kasey) have a sardine eating contest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a reference here. Does anyone get it?

The last thing former Jedi padawan Ahsoka Tano wanted to deal with was Jay's problems.

CT-3058 was beyond neurotic. Ahsoka contributed this to his reconditioning, which was known to cause problems later down the road. Jay had always had "personality defects" (meaning he was beyond stubborn at times), but the reconditioning process had stripped him of everything but his name. No prior socialization. No memory of battle field tactics. No friends. No way of looking at his behavior and seeing that what he was doing was wrong. Or why one of the somewhat friendly Mandalorians had punched him in the face. Inaru Zhe did not take well to a "bloody clone" trying to chat her up. Which was why Jay got slapped. Twice. And why Jachin, Inaru's Zabrak boyfriend, threatened to castrate him.

_Again. The things I deal with._

Ahsoka pulled up a few files on her comm. "Hey, Rex?"

"Yeah?" A very familiar blonde head poked out of a partially disemboweled hyper-drive. They operated out of a ship. In case the others asked, Ahsoka was helping Rex fix problems. In reality, she was getting away from Jay. Jay was in one of his whiny, clingy 'please-oh-dear-sweet-Maker-don't-leave-me' fits. "Whatcha need?"

"To get rid of Jay," she muttered.

Rex gave her a long look. "Really?"

"No, silly." Ahsoka shook her head. "I need to know how soon we can jump to hyperspace. This sector is too dangerous for us."

"You got that right, Fulcrum." Rex shook his head. Their latest mission had involved blowing up an Imperial weapons base. Not likely to get you a clone, but they actually picked one up. Not Jay, he'd came from Tatooine, but one who called himself Jax. Jax had some pretty nasty injuries. The burns you expected from getting caught in an explosion, a few cracked ribs, and a concussion. Jax would live, but he would take his time healing. "I don't think Agent Jovan likes us anymore."

"Yeah..." Ahsoka tried to suppress her laughter. She had charmed the access codes out of Jovan. And probably blue-balled him, too. There was something about her that made Jovan bow to her whims at the bat of an eyelash. Followed by Rex re-staking his claim almost immediately after they weren't in danger of getting blown up. In front of _everyone_. "Did you have to do that?"

"Do what?" Rex asked. The glint in his eyes proved he knew the answer.

"Kiss me like that," Ahsoka replied. She had been mortified at the time. It was hard for an ex-Jedi to accept open displays of affection.

"Couldn't have you swooning over that Imperial, could we? You being the brave rebel that you are...could be disastrous for me." Rex offered her a more-than-slightly cocky grin. Grease had smeared all over his face and his hair stuck out at odd angles. Rex's shirt had torn, too, giving Ahsoka a tantalizing glimpse at his chest. Rex worked out. 

"As if I would ever stoop so low," she retorted. "What do you take me for?"

"Mine." Rex scooped her up, getting her shirt greasy, too.

"Hey! I am your commanding officer and I demand you put me down!"

"Sorry, I'm pulling a 2091," Rex smoothly said. "I've decided that I'm a free man and I do as I want."

"Are you forgetting that I'm a Jedi?" Ahsoka asked.

"No." And Rex kissed her, long and passionate. Ahsoka didn't freeze up like she did after the explosion. Instead, she leaned into his embrace, running her fingers through his hair. "I think we can wait...?"

"We need to go." Ahsoka pulled back sadly. At twenty, she could do what she wanted. And thank the gods that Rex had pretty much forced the Kaminoans to hand over the cure for the aging sickness. "I really don't want to get captured after we just blew up Jovan's base." The man really was nice. It might have been an act, as he was an ISB-Agent. Ahsoka, though, had felt his thoughts through the Force. Jovan hadn't wanted to be an Agent. He had joined, though, to keep the Empire from destroying his village. It hadn't worked. And then she destroyed the man's weapon factory.

"Commander Tano!"

"Oh, Maker," Rex moaned. "I did not think they were going to really do that."

"Do what?" Ahsoka asked, suddenly suspicious.

"Dare each other to eat sardines," Rex explained.

"Oh, Maker." Ahsoka tried to wipe the the grease off of her shirt. Rex snorted before she stopped. Yep. She'd ruined another set of clothes. "Whose ideas was this?"

"Guess. Who is our resident trouble maker?"

"Jay..." Saying Ahsoka was exasperated was beyond true. She hurried to the galley, trying to keep the flush out of her cheeks. She did not need anymore cat calls.

"I thought the spines tasted good," Kasey moaned. He looked rather sick. And there was vomit down his shirt. Jay, of course, had cut the spines out of his.

"Jay?" Ahsoka asked. "What possessed you to do this?"

Jay shrugged. "Kasey lost a bet."

Ahsoka looked at Rex and groaned. "Get yourselves cleaned up. We'll be jumping to hyperspace soon."

_And on to our next mission. I wonder what Sato has planned this time._


	3. It's Kinda Coming Back

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Our nameless clone is about to have some trouble...

The clone didn't want to stick around, not after what he'd just seen. It wasn't as if drug deals on Cyrene were illegal. The brother knew he'd seen enough of them for that. But it was the sense of foreboding that drove him onward. He needed to move. Run. Get the hell out of dodge whilst he was still alive. The brother knew that most hated him. He was a clone, and as such, a symbol of Imperial repression. The clone wasn't unarmed, he had a dagger, but a knife was precious little good against a blaster.

He bowed his head and picked up the pace. Getting out of dodge was a good idea. Having an Imperial officer looking for him would never be good, the clone knew.

His breathing sounded heavy, rasping in his ears. The clone had a little experience with drugs. The white pills given to arouse a pleasure slave had been his one example. The brother had been very sick afterwards, not surprisingly. For him, at least. Nothing good ever happened to him. He was a worthless clone.

"Hey, you! Stop!"

The clone froze, gripping his dagger. "Yes?"

A pair of Falleen flanked him, looking at him hungrily. "So it looks like one got away."

"I'm sorry, I don't know you." The clone swallowed his fear.

_Then again, I don't even know my own name._

"Really?" one of the lizards asked.  He nodded to the other. The brother dropped backwards. His dagger almost came up, into capable hands. "I think you do know us, Trigger."

"I'm not Trigger." The dagger came up, followed by a cold look in the clone's eyes. Violence he could do. Slice these throats and move on with his life. That was the one thing the cloners had taught him that was worth anything.

"Then who are you?" the second asked. He nodded to the first. The clone swore under his breath.

"I don't have a name." The clone stepped backwards, looking at the Falleen. "I'm not looking for trouble. I don't want your territory. I'm just passing through."

"Really now." The first pressed him, drawing a smooth blaster. "You're pathetic, **_Trigger_**."

"I'm not Trigger." This time, the words came a little harder, a little sharper. His name had started with an "S". The brother remembered nothing beyond that. His name had started with an "S". That meant a lot to him.

"You'll do."

Wrong words. The brother snarled. He feinted with the dagger, spinning on his legs. The clone went down then snapped his body aside. One blaster bolt went off and grazed his ear. The brother snarled. His knife hissed through the air, just above the Falleen's head. The alien backed up. The clone pressed him, his eyes dark and cold. The other Falleen looked at the clone with a little more respect. These two were just gangsters, but the clone was in a foul mood. He pressed the first Falleen. He was scrabbling for a weapon, but the clone moved first. He buried the dagger hilt deep in the Falleen's throat. Blood, dark orange and hot, rushed over the clone's hands. There was a sick tearing sound as the clone ripped the blade from the dead Falleen's neck.

The other one looked at the alley. They were alone. The clone dropped the dead Falleen. He didn't move to wipe the blood from his hands. Instead, he bent down and rifled through the dead man's pockets. The man didn't need his things. He was dead. Good and dead, too. The clone smiled coldly as he came up with another dagger, this one worked with gold trimming, and a small blaster.

"I will kill you if you don't leave me alone." The clone took a few steps forward. "I don't know who Trigger is, but I can sure as hell say I'm not him!"

"He-he-he's just a spacer." The Falleen had both been young. Once, the clone thought he might have been saddened over killing someone like them. But he didn't think he cared. Not anymore at least. "He buys stuff from the gang! Honest! But the capper said he was snooping around too much! But he's a clone like you..."

"And we all look alike," the clone spat. "You're lucky I'm in a hurry. Don't make me regret not killing you."

The Falleen swallowed. "Yeah, yeah, I understand..."

"Now get lost!" The clone held his new blaster overhead as if he meant to shoot the other.

With only a backwards glance, the second Falleen scrambled off.

The clone had the name of a brother. Trigger. A clone who was just a spacer. Maybe Trigger knew who the clone had once been. Maybe he didn't. But finding him was worth the shot, the clone decided. Worth the shot in the dark. When all you had was the first letter your name started with, any scrap of information was valuable.


	4. Looking for Gulls Without a Sea

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kasey is high on cough syrup. Ahsoka has to help Trigger with Kasey. Rex acts a little clingy. As always, chaos ensues.

" _Gar **di'kut**_! I _told_ you not to give him that!"

Ahsoka groaned and pulled the pillow back over her head. Kasey had gotten into something that must have hurt. He'd been coughing and wheezing for the past few days, but had refused medical treatment out of sheer stubbornness. It has metastasized into a severe cough, hence the fact he was on some sort of cough medication. They were trying to get the crap out of his lungs. This meant regular sessions of clapping his chest, medicine, and rest. None of which Kasey liked. In fact, he had pitched a fit until he coughed all night. Rex was paranoid about grey cough. Ahsoka wasn't sure on all the details, but she did know grey cough had killed an entire barracks worth of clones on Senna-II. Kasey _probably_ didn't have grey cough, but he wasn't sleeping. And he couldn't talk.

"Well, what was I supposed to give him, _dral solus_?"

"Could you two shut up? Or move the argument elsewhere?" Ahsoka yelled. She rolled over and checked her comm. Yep. Four in the morning and already Blaze and Trigger were fighting. Those two were ARC troopers from different legions. Saying they got along was like saying nexus liked blood wolves. Or vinegar liked baking soda. Or lithium and water. Take your pick. It all ended up with a fight anyways.

"Blaze gave Kasey cough syrup!" Trigger announced.

"So? He has a damned cough!" Ahsoka rolled over and grabbed a sweatshirt. Probably not good for the boys to see her in her sleeping clothes. Beside her, Rex moaned and moved into the warm spot. Most nights, it was like she had a clone blanket wrapped around her. And it wasn't uncommon to see brothers sprawled over each other like puppies. Ahsoka supposed it came from being touch starved and locked away in suits of plasticoid armor. Even Rex liked to sit curled up beside her.

"Yeah, but it's that stuff we got for you," Trigger explained. He matched paces with her as Ahsoka went to see the sick brother. "I think he's high."

"Really?" Ahsoka asked. "Or was he sparring with you again?" She raised the marking that served as her eyebrow. Trigger stepped back, a sheepish look on her face. "I'm not stupid."

" _Nayc_ , _gar're_ not," Trigger muttered. Blaze had escaped to save face, it looked like. The brother wasn't known for pushing authority. Not all generals in the Clone Wars were Jedi. As a result, some legions of clones were treated pretty badly by their Masters. Blaze's Master had shot him once. Blaze had been trying to carry a badly wounded brother back to the medics. The Mandalorian in charge, a man known as Kraajan Durst, had shot the injured brother in the head and shot Blaze for disobeying the order to leave Maji. Blaze had barely survived. He might have requested a transfer, but the Council had been to busy to deal with it. Durst had made Kal Skirata look like a nice guy. He was as cold as the Arctic winds and known for leaving the injured to die.

"Thanks for that," Ahsoka smiled. She stopped beside Kasey's cot, brushing back sweat slicked dark hair. He looked at her without understanding who she was.

"Shaak Ti?" Kasey asked softly.

"No, I'm Ahsoka," she replied. "Are you okay?"

"I'm floating on puffy clouds," Kasey informed her. He pawed the cotton bedding. "I'm looking for gulls."

"Um...Kasey...I think you're seeing things," Ahsoka said.

"See what I mean?" Trigger muttered. Then he pointed at the corner. "Look! A gull! Catch it, Kasey!"

"Where?!" Kasey scrambled out of his cot and landed on his face. He got up. Then his eyes lighted on the blaster someone had tossed in the corner. "There it is! I see it!" And he went for it.

"Oh, no you don't!" Ahsoka yanked the blaster out of the way with the Force.

"There it is!" Trigger kept pointing at the hovering weapon. Kasey jumped up and tried to grab it. "Get it!"

"Rex!" Ahsoka couldn't help it. "Get Kasey before he hurts himself!"

"I'm gonna catch the gull! Lemme catch the gull!"

"Kasey!" Trigger grabbed his brother's shoulders. "You, sir, are high. Now sit _down_!"

Ksaey punched Trigger in the face. "You're stealing my bird!"

Trigger snarled. "Dammit! Sit down!" He surged up and pushed Kasey over. Kasey screamed bloody murder. He started flailing and screaming that the Seppies were going to get him. Apparently, a crate was a Clanker, because Kasey tried to kill it. "Ahsoka! Help!"

"You got him stirred up!" Ahsoka yelled. Hopefully, the blaster was forgotten. She grabbed Kasey from behind and knocked him out with the Force. He fell in a suddenly boneless heap, quite exhausted. Trigger shrugged.

"It wasn't me, it was Blaze!" Trigger yelped. Even so, he helped hoist Kasey up and put him back in the cot. "On the plus side, I think his cough is gone."

"That is good," Ahsoka sighed. "Can you watch him?"

"Yeah, I guess so," Trigger shrugged. "Going to see Rex?"

Her little relationship with Rex was no longer secret. They might not have gone all the way yet, but Rex's kiss had pretty much told everyone she was in a relationship.

Ahsoka crawled back in bed beside him. "Well, I think we can say Kasey is healthy."

"Good," Rex murmured. He cuddled up beside her and put one hand on her waist. Ahsoka leaned forward so their foreheads were touching. She gently took his other hand and held it. This...this was what Rex liked. He liked being held most of all. "Now can I go back to sleep? What was all the yelling?"

"Trigger and Blaze." Ahsoka rested her head on Rex's shoulder. "Cats and dogs will never live in peace."

"If they do, then the entire galaxy has gone to hell," Rex muttered.

Ahsoka heartily agreed with him.

 


	5. Hero

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which our amnesiac brother tries to get some answers. And gets a child

The clone tried to find his way to the dockyards without any more "Interactions." His belly still rumbled in hunger. There was no good way for a hungry brother to get food. Especially a brother with no name, no memory, nothing but a ragged set of clothes and his blaster. A blaster he'd stolen off a dead body. Around him, the city was waking up. Vendors clattered across the duracrete roadways. Slaves swept in front of their Master's storefronts. The warm scent of a bakery hit the clone, hard. He rubbed his belly and cursed under his breath. Stealing went against his grain. Even if he was hungry.

He closed his eyes and forced himself to keep on walking. The dead Falleen had had no credits on his body. That, in an of itself, was a bad thing. Maybe he could pawn the blaster for some much needed credits?

A Twi'lek girl ran into the street, chased by her dog. It jumped on her, slathering the girl's neck with licks. "Stop it! Stop it, Buddy! That tickles!"

"Sara!" an older Twi'lek, her skin the same color as the girl's, leaned her head out of the window. "Get back here!"

"Get out of the way!" the clone barked. The girl whipped around and screamed. A nexu--and a large one--was coming at the dog. The dog snarled. Its hackles went up and it charged the monster. The clone knocked the kid out of the way. His blaster was up and in his hands before he thought of it. The weapon was little more than a hold out blaster, but it would kill the nexu. The weapon fired. The nexu roared in pain. The dog snarled and lunged at the beast's throat. "Bad kitty!" The clone shot at it again.

Someone screamed, maybe the girl. The clone literally threw the girl aside, aiming at the beast's neck. Its eyes were another vulnerable point. The animal reared up. It screamed in rage and swatted at the dog. The dog wailed as sharp claws shredded its side. The girl screamed. The clone ignored her. The dog was laying in a bloody heap. It raised it's head and weakly wagged its tail before falling back, dead. The girl fell to her knees and started crying. The clone rolled and stole a blaster rifle out of someone's hands. The weapon was up before he knew it. One sharp crack _later_ and the nexu fell in a heap.

The clone handed the rifle back to the open mouthed Mrlssi. "You need to work on your scope. It aims a little to the left."

"Um...thank you..."

The clone nodded sharply. "Just doing my job, sir."

  
"B-b-buddy?" The girl looked at him, her eyes tear stained. "Can you fix him, please?"

The clone took a deep breath. "I've seen injuries like this before. They don't...they don't heal.."

_Or if they do, the cloners put you down for being defective._

The girl took his out stretched hand. "What's your name?" she asked.

"I don't have one," the clone admitted.

The Twi'lek woman scooped her daughter up in a hug. The clone tried not to look at the slave collar around her neck. "Thank you for doing that. Someone needed to kill that thing."

He suppressed a smile. "Just doing my duty, ma'am."

"Oh, I mean it. The stormtroopers couldn't hit the broadside of a freighter from ten paces," the woman snapped. "Though you just killed the governor's nexu."

"He needed to keep it caged," the clone snapped. "I'm sorry about the dog."

"It's okay, Master..."

"I don't have a name." The clone's eyes flashed. The woman stood and took his hand.

"You're the clone Master has seen scrambling around," the woman sighed. "I can't give you much, but I can try to help you."

The clone smiled. "Thanks, but I'm fine."

"No, I mean it." The woman look flustered. "But I have a favor to ask."

"Yeah?" the clone asked. "I'm listening"

"When you go off-world, could you take Sara with you, please?" the woman asked. "If she stays here...I couldn't stand it. Please, my little girl deserves freedom..."

Sara looked up at him, her green eyes confused. "Are you a hero?"

"No, I'm just a clone," the clone sighed. Then the gears clicked. "Are you trying--?"

"Yes." The woman smiled. "She wants to call you Hero."

"Hero," the clone repeated. Something told him he didn't deserve the name. That he was nothing but a damn traitor. But the other part of him rebelled at the idea. "Thank you, Sara."

"So you'll do it?" the woman softly asked.

"I will." Hero didn't know how he was supposed to take care of a child along with himself, but he figured he could do it. "I'll try to keep in touch..."

"No." Though there were tears in the woman's eyes, she seemed insistent. "If you see Boil, tell him...this is his daughter."

"I will," Hero nodded. He took the small pack from the woman, smiling gratefully. They'd have to make it last several days, but Hero figured they could do it. Hell, he knew he could. The ribs jutting out of his side said that much.

Sara took his hand as he started to walk again.

The newly named clone still felt something was missing. He wasn't sure what, but he knew something was. A memory tugged on his mind. Battle, lead by men with glowing swords. And the increased feeling of being violated as a man in silver armor tried shoving his hands down trousers... Hero shook his head. That wasn't a memory from his past...was it?

 

 


	6. Comm-Calls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Ahsoka gets a call about Hero

Most days they got along without any instances. No one getting hurt. No one getting killed. Maybe a mission if the situation really called for it. Which it didn't. Most of the time, Ahsoka was busy trying to find a base. Which was pretty hard. The Sith had held all the untraceable planets, along with the Shadow Knights. Whilst one of the few Sith Lords Ahsoka knew might have been interested in sharing, Ahsoka knew the Rebellion wouldn't be. Not only would she be asking Jedi survivors to deal with a Sith who had killed several of their own and corrupted a Jedi healer, she would be asking said Sith to trust the man who once tried to kill him.

And the Shadow Knights were crazy. It was likely they'd kill the Rebel soldiers, just to watch blood flow. Ahsoka had met the Shadow Knight Skadiki Blirr. She'd seemed like a nice person--until Ahsoka's Sith friend had told her what Blirr liked to do to captives.

"Hey, General Tano! Sato wants to see ya!"

"There is such a thing as respect, Trigger." Ahsoka pushed aside the big clone, grabbing her comm. It was likely Trigger was an illegal clone. What that meant, Rex wouldn't tell her. She did know it made Rex _very_ angry, though. She sat in the Captain's chair, brushing back her lekku.

The blue image of Commander Sato nodded. "I see you're doing well."

"Commander." Ahsoka closed her eyes. "Please tell me you didn't comm me just to say hello. I'm on a schedule, here. My _Crouching Tiger_ needs to be on Naboo by mid-day tomorrow."

"There might be a complication with that," Sato said. "That's why I commed you. By some chance do you have Boil with you?"

"No...he died during the Clone Wars," Ahsoka sighed. "Along with a lot of good men. Why?"

"Because a clone killed a nexu on Rhea," Sato grimly said. "A nameless clone--that the Empire wants back."

_Great...looks like I'm gonna miss our next job. Thanks, Lord Sidious! Ya couldn't stick the screwing the clones over **before** the war ended, so ya hurt them afterwards, too!_

"Okay...and what does this have to do with Boil?" Ahsoka asked.

"It involves Boil's daughter, a Twi'lek girl named Sara. We have reason to believe the girl may be strong with the Force," Sato continued. "She's a bit old for traditional padawan training, but what about your crew is traditional? After all--you didn't put down that blind clone of yours."

Ahsoka bristled at that. "Jax," she snarled, "is a living human being! Killing him would be _murder_. And he gets around my ship just fine unless some asshole forgets and moves the furniture!"

"The clone and Sara are believed to be traveling together."

"Rhea is not exactly prime Imperial real estate," Ahsoka argued. "Who says the Imps will even find them? Look, I know you don't have to worry about getting money, but we do."

"Captain! TIE fighters off our port bow!"

" ** _Shit_**." Ahsoka sprang up. "Look, we're gonna have to talk later, but my _Tiger_ needs me. I will do what I can about the clone, but I'm not getting splattered by TIEs. Fulcrum out!"

Crys spun her around. "Captain! We spotted a bank of TIEs. Any word on what to do?"

"Fire at will and prepare for borders." Ahsoka called her twin lightsabers to her. Her green ones had been destroyed on Coruscant all those years ago. "We'll destroy those bastards. All hands! To your battle stations!"

"Captain?" At times like these, Ahsoka was Captain Tano. Not just Ahsoka, the Captain of a fairly nasty old battle ship. A ship worthy of bring any Imperial ship to her knees. And Crys knew it.

"Get to your station. Now." Ahsoka spun on her heels. Rex, Trigger, and Blaze fell in step behind her. "Trigger--secure the medical bay. Kasey still can't be moved, can he?"

"No, Captain."

"Gotcha." Ahsoka sprinted to their hatch. The Imps wouldn't bother coming in through the cargo hold, they'd be trying to bust open the airlock. Well, Ahsoka wasn't going to let them. The _Tiger_ rumbled and listed to port as the powerful cannons of a TIE fighter pounded her flanks. Ahsoka narrowed her eyes. She wasn't going down, not without a fight. It did cross her mind that they might have a mole, but Ahsoka knew her men. All of them would have been slaves had they not joined up with a crew.

Her lightsabers ignited with a hiss. Ahsoka allowed a feral snarl to cross her features. This...this she could do.

Ahsoka closed her eyes and touched the Force. The Imps were coming. Coming all too soon. A wave of white would flood her precious little ship...

The airlock started rumbling with an ominous sound. Ahsoka hit the release button, simultaneously crushing together the outer steel plates. There was a cry as specially suited troopers were crushed to death beneath the powerful, unrelenting force. Ahsoka spun on her heels as the blasterfire started. They only had about seventeen stormtroopers on her ship. That, they could manage. Ahsoka felt the slight wobble to her knees as the _Tiger_ was rolled. Wink would be dragging the freighter hard to port, right about now.

Her lightsaber sang as she sliced it through the air. A blaster bolt almost tore her head off. Ahsoka slapped it aside and charged the knot of troopers. She saw Blaze lure one down past the trap zones. It was coded to her crew--and no one else. Her men charged the troopers with blasters raised. She sliced one man in two, sending him scattering. The others dropped back. Ahsoka danced through the blaster bolts, her lightsabers a deadly blur of white light, These troopers had never even seen a Jedi before it looked like. Well, here one was--trying to kill them.

A trooper fell beneath her dashing blade. Ahsoka paused and a blaster bolt ripped into her shoulder. She fell forward, but yanked herself to her feet. A Force-push sent several men flying. They were all coming at her crew...

There was a scream. Ahsoka turned, just in time to see Crys fall, a vibro-blade sticking out of his belly.

She screaming in rage. The trooper who did it barely had enough time to turn around as she ran him through. The others were skidding on pools of split blood. Crys was coughing, his face pale and wan. Maybe he'd make it. Maybe he wouldn't. But Ahsoka couldn't worry about him now.

"Ahsoka, behind you!"

She whipped around, just in time to lock blades with what looked like a Pau'an. They stepped back across the blood soaked floor. Ahsoka danced one way, parrying his blow. The man darted at her. She dropped back. The stench of burnt ozone filled the air as blades clashed. His spun on a circular hilt. Hers were twins. The two danced across the battle field.

The lightning didn't take her by surprise. That Sith had taught her how to absorb lightning and use it. He'd had her practice on him.

Ahsoka gritted her teeth as the burning tendrils attacked her body. Then she threw it all off. She could feel the last stormtrooper fall and saw Blaze drag Crys away. He was breathing, but he left a trail of blood behind him. He would make it. She had to believe that he would make it. The Sith staggered back as she pounded him with the Force.

"Get off of my ship!" Ahsoka slammed him into the wall. He hit her with the Force, sending her sprawling. The Togruta woman tried to get up. "What gives you the right to bother me?!"

"You're a Jedi and not a very good one," The Pau'an smiled. "I think that's reason enough."

"Oh, go to hell, you Imperial scum!"

Ahsoka tried to yell a warning as one of her clones, maybe Red, took a pot shot at the Imperial. The Pau'an snarled and moved like lightning. His blade stabbed the clone through the chest. His body seized up and fell. Ahsoka felt so selfishly glad that this wasn't Rex, that it was only Shard. The Pau'an doused his blade, allowing the clone's body to fall to the ground.

"You killed him!" Ahsoka tried to keep her composure. "What do you want?"

"All the Jedi dead, I'm afraid." The Pau'an held up his hand, making the battle stop. Her clones were looking at each other, rage on their faces. "Don't you know you have a traitor?"

"My men would never do that!" Ahsoka snarled.

There was a _thump_ and one of the more battered looking normals fell to the ground. He was breathing heavily, his face streaked with blood.

"I didn't mean it! Please, General! But it hurt so much..."

"What did you do to him?" Ahsoka snarled. The clone was telling the truth, she knew. By the way he'd been fighting..

"Just a little bit of torture. You don't know how easy it is to break the mind of a weak willed _clone_ ," the Pau'an spat. He smiled and turned on his knees. "You aren't really worth my while to fight, but I'd love to know what you do with that clone."

"Nothing." Trigger shoved in front of the crowd. "You tortured him, you _bastard_!"

The Pau'an just smiled and turned away.

Rex looked to Shard's body. "I...clean him up."

"Get Wink to get us in hyperspace. Now," Ahsoka ordered. She helped the injured normal, 99, up. "You need a name, you know."

"I don't deserve it," he whispered. "I was just a maintenance clone before I was a traitor."

"I don't care. This is your order from your Captain: think of a name whilst you're healing," Ahsoka calmly said. She kept her head held up high. "How many casualties?"

"As far as I know, Shard, Smokey, and Ash are dead," Rex grimly reported. He supported her with his shoulder. Ahsoka nodded in thanks. The Togruta woman was beyond exhausted. "Crys is the most severely wounded, but Storm thinks he'll pull though."

"We need to get to Naboo first," Ahsoka ordered. "Pick up our cargo and fix our ship. Do we have our heading, Master Wink?"

"Aye--we'll hit Naboo in three hours!" Wink yelled back. "Here we go!"

Ahsoka just smiled, despite her wounds. This crew, as motley as it was, was what she fought for.


	7. Warrior to Slave

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hero's killing of the nexu has made problems for another brother. A brother who's powerless against his Master

"Master, they couldn't find the clone responsible anywhere." Jaing kept his gaze downcast, trying not to flinch as Master Rajin stood over him. "He...vanished. The dead nexu was left in the streets. We managed to recover the body, sir, but it was too late to capture the clone."

"I thought you were smarter than that, _null_ ," Rajin hissed. He left the raised dais beside Master Faelan, the Imperial governor of Rhea. The owner of said nexu.

"Master...he could be anywhere in the city." Jaing wasn't going to plead. The bastard might have a locked shock collar on him, but Jaing had his pride. He'd been through hell and back on Kamino. One bastard of a Mandalorian wasn't going to make him fold. He might come pretty close to it in his darkest hours, when he was curled bloody and dazed in the corner, but he wasn't going to flinch _in front_ of the bastard. "We are looking for one man amidst tens of thousands in the city alone."

The collar shocked him. Jaing grunted, grabbing at the device. He hissed in pain, taking a step back. But the only visible indication of his pain he gave was his sparp panting. It hurt. Oh, how it hurt. The collar chafed at his skin. He often woke up at night, unable to breathe thanks to the leather pressing into his skin. Because nulls were hard to deal with. They were controlled by either you getting their loyalty or by being broken. And Jaing wasn't giving Rajin his loyalty anytime soon. That loyalty was reserved for one Kal Skirata. Not a torturing bastard from the Northern Clans.

"You take pain well, I'll give you that." Rajin jerked Jaing's chin up to meet his. The null almost bared his teeth, but decided against it. "A pity I'll have to punish you."

"Master." Jaing tried to keep his composure. Rajin wasn't enough of a bastard that he wouldn't listen to reason. Even if he did apply a crop to Jaing's flanks and ass. Which hurt. And left his Master aroused. That was when Jaing usually repeated his little mantra until Rajin was done. Who he was. What he did. What had been done to him. Whose son he was, even if he was blood kin to a bounty hunter. "We are looking for a man who knows the pits of the city. We will not be able to find him."

"I thought you had faith in your slave's tracking abilities," Faelan drawled.

_Usually, I'm not looking for a brother in a crowded city, full of spacers, coming and going...._

"Do we even have a name?" Jaing ventured.

Rajin struck him across the face. "What do you think?"

"No?" Jaing forced himself to look like it hadn't effected him. He was being defiant in his own little way. Act like the bastard wasn't hurting him when he was.

"For that, you'll skip meals for the next two days," Rajin airily said. "You will keep on your assigned duties and you will report for troop training during that time."

" ** _Shit_** ," Jaing muttered.

_Damn mouth... Kal was right. I'm too smart-mouthed for my own good._

"Did I hear what I just heard?" Rajin asked.

Jaing set his jaw. He was already going to be punished for something he couldn't control. "Yeah, you did, _Master_."

The collar sparked again. Jaing took the pain and let it go. He swore under his breath, doubling over. His hands curled into fists. The key that unlocked his collar was around Master Rajin's neck. There was a snowball's chance in hell that he'd actually be able to get the thing. Now he was just expected to sit there and take it like a good slave. Which he wasn't.

"Teach your slave to hold his tongue in his better's presence," Faelan growled. "I want that clone **_found_**!"

"I'm sure Jaing will find him. One stripe for every day he stays out there," Rajin announced. He turned away from the simmering null, a cruel smile upon his lips. "He has a vested interest in finding your nexu's killer. I'm sure it'll be found soon."

_**It**. That brother is a human being...like me._

"Master...?" Jaing tried to keep a respectful look on his face. Short of being totally broken, this was going to be all the respect and deference Rajin got from his slave. "I will not be able to find the clone, weakened from hunger."

"Well, then you better watch your mouth," Rajin purred. "Against the wall, slave."

"Master?" Jaing couldn't believe his ears.

"Against the wall, you damn clone!" Rajin grabbed Jaing by the throat and slammed him against the wall. Jaing took it. The alternative was the collar shocking him into submission. He could take stripes. The heart stopping agony of the collar was a little much, even for him.

By the time Rajin had finished beating his slave, blood was dripping from the welts on Jaing's back and thighs. He could feel Faelan's eyes burning into his back. The null stiffened. He knew Rajin wanted him, but was afraid of his slave's physical prowess. A normal might not fight (except the one that did--shooting Rajin in the belly. That brother had done his damnedest to kill the man, but he'd aimed a little low. Jaing wanted to meet that brother and give him a big hug.), but a null _would_ fight. Jaing **_would_** fight.

"I would take the fight right out of him," Faelan muttered. "If it works for an X-wing pilot, it works with a null."

"I need his mind," Rajin growled. He pushed the slave aside. "You will report to guard duty. _Now_."

Jaing raised a trembling head. "Y-y-yes, Master."

He was stiff, sore, and bloody. His back stung when the air hit it. But he'd asked for it, hadn't he? And, since Rajin wanted to break his spirit...beatings were to be expected. And Jaing could deal with hunger.

"That's better," Rajin smiled.

 


	8. Not Exactly What I Was Hoping For, But...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Hero and Sara get chased by stormtroopers. Hero gives an eight year old a blaster and much chaos ensues

Maybe shooting the nexu wasn't Hero's best plan.

To start with, it was getting him chased and Hero could live without being captured by the Empire again. Really, he could. Getting shot also wasn't something that was high on his to-do list. The scars on his body already attested to that particular thing happening more than once. And Hero figured it hurt. Again, not something he was really enthusiastic about repeating. After all, he was a rogue clone and nothing if not pragmatic.

Then there was Sara. The child of a brother, Hero assumed, but he didn't know anything else about her.

_Plus it's kinda hard to get introductions when you're running for your life. **Again**. With an eight year old in tow. **Again**._

"Get them!"

Hero whipped around and loosed a shot at one head. He shoved the kid out of the way and went tearing around the corner. The next thing he knew, his hip was suddenly a lot lighter than it should have been. He happened to glance down.

"Stealing usually gets you shot," he muttered.

"Do you really need two?" Sara softly asked. "Mama taught me how to shoot."

"Did she now?" Hero ducked three shots and offered three more. Two men fell, holes ripped through their bodies. He was considering charging them, but it wasn't just him. Not anymore. And he had Sara to look out for. What the hell had he been thinking to make that sort of idiotic agreement? Well, Hero hoped he was able to get through this. And he still had that strange itchy feeling in him.  Hero wasn't sure what it was for, but he knew it meant something. And he sure as hell wanted to figure it out.

Sara nodded, handling the blaster in a way no child should have been able to. Hero shoved that feeling aside. Their job now was to survive. Not feel, not get all worked up about shit they couldn't control.

" _Vod_! _K'olar_!" a voice called out.

Hero pushed Sara back. "Whatever that bastard says, you do not follow me, understood? Not even if I start screaming!"

"What are you gonna do?" she softly asked.

"Take care of the problem," Hero muttered. Very few beings spoke _Mando'a_ like a clone from Kamino. Hero was fixing to deal with a brother who had turned. He turned away from the girl, slowly moving into plain view. " _Bal meh Ni vaabir nayc_?"

"Then _Ni kelir kyr'amur gar_ ," the brother flatly said. He was dressed in what looked to be some sort of servant's uniform, complete with odd scarring. His skin, eyes, and hair were complete mirrors of Hero's own, but there was something about this brother. A sort of lean, hungry, predatory look about him. Hero wasn't quite sure how to place it. He just knew in some strange way that this brother was trouble.

" _Ni Ru'kel guuror at haa'taylir gar kebbur_ ," Hero growled. He slowly moved his blaster into view. The other brother stepped back, flanked by stormtroopers. Hero's eyes narrowed. His liking of this brother was slipping by the second. He bared his teeth, Zabrak style, waiting for his brother to strike. The clone seemed like he was wrestling with himself. Hero could work with that. But it was the way his brother moved, the lithe grave like a panther, that scared him.

"I think I can easily kill a whelp like you," the brother snapped. He smiled, cold and predatory.

"But, unlike you, I don't kowtow to some asshole of an Imperial."

"That's what's gonna get you killed, _vod_. If not by my hand, then by someone else's." The brother stepped back a little. "I don't know what you're playing at, trying this. Even _they_ ," the brother shot a disdainful look at the stormtroopers, "could hit you from here."

"I'm not playing, brother," Hero warned. " _Resol_ walls _bal_ a razor wire fence couldn't keep me from my freedom."

"Pity that," the brother drawled. " _Jii Gev guuror a jate jag_."

Hero felt the familiar fury start building under his skin. The rage that bubbled up before things started exploding. Hero hadn't felt it in ages. But the last time he had, it had been bad for the other guys. For the guys who didn't heed his warnings. Hero snarled in fury and pushed out his hand. The troopers folded like they'd been punched in the gut. The brother's eyes widened. Hero grabbed the blaster out of Sara's hands and started shooting. The troopers recovered their wits. They started filling the air with blaster bolts, making Hero staggers backwards. He knocked three of them into a wall. They went still and Hero suspected he'd broken a few ribs. Or even a skull.

The brother got in close and delivered a punishing kick to Hero's chest. He grunted and flung the brother aside. The clone recovered quickly and grabbed a blaster from a fallen trooper. The bolts were coming at Hero thick and fast. He knocked some of them aside with blasts of his own. Then he started feeling where the bolts would strike next. Hero closed his eyes and reached for whatever it was that was giving him this power. He hurled it at the brother, sending him into a heap of crates. The brother struck hard. He got to his feet quickly, shaking rapidly. Hero dropped back to the mouth of the alleyway.

"Run, Sara!" She couldn't get hit by a stray bolt or by Hero fighting these bastards. It was better if he died than if she got injured. That was the way of it if you were a clone trooper.

The brother rolled, his mouth bloody. His fist flared at Hero's face. The brother dropped backwards. He was fighting with all he had. A piece of re-bar found its way into grip. Hero smashed through the skull of a stormtrooper, sending him sprawling in a heap. The brother looked at Hero with something akin to awe.

"They...should have killed you!" he said. "Shouldn't have allowed an abomination like yourself to live!"

Hero shrugged. "Not my fault you're jealous."

"Why would I be jealous of a dead man?" the brother asked.

Hero just smiled. "Because I'm a damn sight harder to catch that you think. Ever thought of that?"

"I'd love to see-"

He took a running start and jumped upon the first crate. If he got a little more height, he could just about do it...

"Shoot him!"

_Uh oh. Come on!_

Hero took a flying leap and grabbed the ledge. He could feel it scraping his chin, belly, legs, and arms, but didn't care. Hero started pulling himself up, grasping at the ledge with broken nails. He finally hauled himself up--and not a moment too soon, because a shower of blaster bolts filled the air. Hero war-whooped and leapt off the other side. He hit the ground running and went to find Sara. There might have been a little bit of a smile upon his face, or there might not have been. But he didn't stick around to taunt the troopers. Rest assured, Hero was looking for a way off this damned planet!

Maybe his power was more than just throwing around his attackers and pulling really cool leaps. Hero quite liked the thought and made a mental note to try and check the idea out later. Much later, of course. When he wasn't in danger of getting shot.

Hero collected Sara and went looking for a good place to hide for the next few hours.

 


	9. A Little Down Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ahsoka and Rex enjoy going to Rhea, BUT...Ahsoka feels that something's off. What is it?

Rhea might not have been prime Imperial real estate, but it sure was pretty. The air was cleaner than most Far Rim planets were, and the twin stars were far enough away that Rhea wasn't choking hot or burned to a crisp. The greenery climbed up the sides of ancient, white stone buildings. The streets were mostly cleaned and the human refuse wasn't in plain sight. There was a ghetto in the lower section of the city, and the space dock was its usual amount of trash, but it wasn't as bad as, say, Mos Eisely. Or as bad as Ashkelon. Or half of the other thousand cities in the Outer Rim.

There was a small Imperial battalion stationed there, but it wasn't really that powerful. The people on Gran Moff Tarkin's shit list got stuck on Rhea. It was a career killing dead end. Once you got on this little back-waters planet, you never got off.

Ahsoka walked beside Rex, holding his hand. She'd sliced her hand pretty good whilst trying to fix parts of the _Crouching Tiger_. Who knew that blaster scores could leave a nasty scar on a ship's hide? And that the wounds were so ragged and sharp.... Rex had bound her cut with gauze. But it still hurt. A lot. But it wouldn't get infected, mostly because he'd washed it out with alcohol. Which had hurt and put Ahsoka in a bad mood.

_Can't you see how far from the Jedi I've fallen?_

Rex smiled and pecked her cheek. "You okay?"

"I'm not a good Jedi anymore," Ahsoka mumbled.

"Oh." Rex nuzzled the crook of her neck. "But you are, Ahsoka. Who else would have rescued Trigger from the mines of Kessel? Or me from Naboo? Only a Jedi."

"I've fallen so far from the Code," Ahsoka finally explained. "You know I'm not allowed to feel what I feel for you."

"Bullshit. You're human." A pause. "Just like I am."

Ahsoka reluctantly pulled away from him. "I need to see a few things, okay? Mostly supplies for our next mission." She pulled the grocery list out of her vest pocket. "Can you find Blaze and deal with this?"

Rex sighed. "I guess."

She kissed him lightly on the cheek. "Thanks, Rex. I'll make it up to you."

He raised and eyebrow. "Will you, now?"

"Later." Ahsoka fixed him with a firm look. "We have things to do, Rex. I...feel like I need to be over here, okay?"

He sighed and turned on his heels. "Be safe, okay? No unnecessary risks?"

"I'm not crazy," Ahsoka smiled. She turned away from him, trying to think things over. Rhea was calling to her for some reason. She had no idea why, though. The Force was a strange thing. Sometimes it was as clear as crystal. Other times...it was as clear as tar. Or mud. Yes...mud seemed to be a better analogy for what Ahsoka was feeling right now. That, and agonizing pain.

She stopped short, touching the Force.

Her sharp Togruta senses could smell the sharp tang of blood, hear the quiet whimpers. Ahsoka rounded the corner, fully ready to see anything. What she saw was a clone, hunched into the white stone wall. His clothing was shredded, blood dripped from the stripes and injuries. Bruises decorated what skin that wasn't bloodied. Other parts of his skin were raw and chafed. The clone was leaning into the wall for support. He looked _bad_ , Ahsoka thought. Fairly skinny, she could see his ribs all to easily. The clone clearly needed a few good meals.

"Are you okay?" Ahsoka suddenly asked.

The clone jumped around, his body making him stiff and slow. His hazel eyes were wild, crazy. Pain was taking away his sense of reason. "Haven't you done enough?! Who was I to know he could use the kriffing ** _Force_**!"

Ahsoka tried to gather him in her arms. Bad choice on her part. He screamed in anger and flared his punches. One caught her in the face. Ahsoka's head snapped back. She grabbed the clone with the Force, freezing him in place. The clone looked at her with terror in his eyes. Ahsoka tried to make him calm. She tried to soothe him with the touches she knew a clone liked. The clone threw her off, though. His eyes were almost crazed. He looked like he was going to fold any moment now.

Ahsoka handed him a piece of jerky. "Here. You need the food."

He took it warily. "Who _are_ you?"

"My name is Ahsoka Tano," Ahsoka said. "Who are you?"

"Jaing." He took the rest of the bag, tearing into it. "Jaing Skirata."

_So he's one of Skirata's sons. How did he wind up  a slave?_

"I can get that collar off of you," Ahsoka finally said. She put her hands on the thick, tooled leather. "That cannot be comfortable."

"Please..." Jaing didn't look at her.

Ahsoka concentrated with the Force. The heavy collar unbuckled in her hands. Ahsoka sat it aside, rubbing the injured clone's back. "I can take you away from here. It's not fancy and crazy at the best of times, but it's better than this."

He looked at her with a little hope in his hazel eyes. "Do you mean it?"

"Yes." Ahsoka hugged him, not caring about the blood that smeared on her clothes. The clone deserved better than this. Jaing had been someone's _son_. He deserved his freedom. "I can give that to you."

"Thank you." Jaing closed his eyes. "Thank you so much."

Ahsoka wondered how well Rex was going to take a NullARC coming to their _Crouching Tiger_.


	10. Adjustments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaing and Rex decide they hate each other

Jaing hurt all over. He'd been in a lot of fights, true, but his Master hadn't punished him like he had after losing the clone. And, honestly, who expected a _vod_ to have the damned Force?! Or to be able to kriffing _ **use it**_? Not Jaing, that was for sure. And he'd fought his hardest, too. Only to be bested by a skinny normal and an eight year old. Men were killed (had their head's bashed in--Jaing still shuddered to think of them), property was destroyed, a nexu got shot (which had needed to happen for ages, if you asked Jaing. Fluffy Kitty liked to eat people), and Rajin got pissed. Which meant he took it out on Jaing. This usually entailed stress-positions, a beating, and...being hurt in a way that nearly shattered his soul. It was hard to keep fighting. So hard. So hard. Jaing had wanted to just sleep and never wake up. Ever again.

Calm fingers washed the dried blood from his back. Followed by bacta and bandages. Jaing didn't look at the Jedi, the Jedi didn't look at Jaing. There were a few other brothers aboard this ship, Jaing had seen them, but they had mostly left them alone. Jaing didn't know to be thankful or extremely pissed off.

She started on his neck. "The good news is this won't scar, I don't think. Your back, on the other hand..."

"I'm a Null. I can deal with it," Jaing snapped. He hunched his shoulders up, trying to act calm when he wasn't. When he was in a good deal of pain, actually.

"That doesn't mean you should have to." Cool water bathed the sores. Jaing arched his back up in pleasure. He rather liked the clean, almost herbal scent of the ointment. It was nothing like the harsh chemicals he'd had on Kamino. Maybe this crew had more money than his Masters had...? It was a thought. Just a thought. Surely nothing he couldn't get in trouble for...? Though the way his luck had been running, Jaing had been expecting to get slapped for breathing. Was it his fault that thrice damned _vod_ had fought him? **_And won_**? The blows to his back only hurt a little less than the blows to his pride.

"If Master Rajin says I do, then I do." He closed his eyes. A good bath would _really_ be appreciated right about now. "I might be crazy, but I'm not into beatings."

"I know." The Togruta woman, Tano she called herself, stood up. "I'm going to go destroy the collar. If you want, you could get some food. Or a bath. Or go crash in a bunk. Just watch out for Torrent, he's kinda the ship asshole. He might not _kill_ you, but you will know you've been in a fight."

_I can deal with an asshole, as long as he doesn't have a crop._

And then, like that, she was gone.

Jaing rubbed his aching limbs. She'd given him a shot of localized painkiller, but nothing too strong. Really enough to keep him in good, working order. Jaing could respect that. He could also respect that she'd given him free run on the ship. Than in and of itself was a nice change. Jaing was limited to Master Rajin's quarters and the courtyards in the palace. Most of the time, Jaing slept in a cot at the foot of his Master's bed. Only when he was being _seriously_ punished (like losing that damned normal!) was he ever sharing a bed with Master Rajin. Those episodes usually hurt enough to discourage attempts at misbehavior.

He pulled what looked like a container of rice out of the fridge. This Jedi was feeding clone troopers. They ate a lot of food. So feeding one more wouldn't do that much harm. At least, not as Jaing saw it. He'd eat what he could manage to keep down, then get a shower. So the Null wolfed down the rice cold. He ate the entire container, too. It was a holdover from not knowing if he'd be given anymore food that day. And he'd been hungry. Troop training on an empty stomach nearly made you pass out.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

Jaing slowly turned around. "I'm getting food," he slowly said. "Isn't it obvious?"

The blonde clone narrowed his eyes. He was an ARC, maybe, Jaing thought, or a particularly brave normal. "Who the hell are you and why are you on _my_ ship?"

"I'm sorry, I thought General Tano owned this ship. Not a worthless meat-droid like you."

Jaing, as it turned out, made a mistake. The blonde clone roared and came at Jaing like a bull rancor. The Naull spun with the blow. He rolled to one side. The blonde wound up on the floor. He jumped to his feet and punched Jaing in the stomach. Jaing folded in on himself, gasping for breath. The brother kicked him in the chin, too. Blood trickled out of a mouth full of broken teeth. Jaing spat out two broken teeth and about six chips. He shook his head. The blood trailed down his jaw, pooling on his shirt collar. It made him look more menacing than he already did, Jaong thought. The blonde grabbed him in a headlock and dragged a dagger across Jain's chin.

"Now," the blonde snarled, "you are going to give me your _name_ and tell my why you're on the _Tiger._ Or I'm gonna kill you."

Jaing thought about testing him, but soon realized it wasn't worth getting his throat slit over. He forced himself to go limp in the blonde's arms. "My name is Jaing. And General Tano brought me on the ship!"

_What if he kills me anyways and tells her I attacked the crew!_

He tried to clamp down on the hysterical thought, but it was hard.

The blonde let him go. "I'm Captain Rex of the _Crouching Tiger_. And next time you call me a 'meat-droid', I won't just punch you in the mouth. I'll stab you."

_And he means it. Of course he does. **Again**. I have shitty luck._

Jaing swallowed. "I'll remember that."

"Good," Rex snapped. "Now. Go get a shower. You smell like _osik_!"

He could only nod and hasten to obey. Anything else would get him punched again. And when Jaing washed out his mouth (with salt water--he wasn't stupid), the water stayed pink with blood three times. Maybe this would be a better place. The food would definitely be good. He could regain the weight he'd lost during his slavery. 

And find the brother who'd gotten him beaten so bad in the first place. There would be a dead clone if Jaing ever saw that asshole again.

 


	11. Captive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Hero screws up...big time
> 
> Cue warnings for non-graphic rape

He should have seen it coming.

Really, he should have. Since when had Hero's luck been anything to be desired? He'd only defeated that other _vod_ by sheer luck. It wasn't his skill at fighting, not at all. Just a timely explosion of power. Hero couldn't make it work reliably. Sometimes it came, sometimes it didn't. Just like with him. He had his good days and he had his bad days. This was looking like it was going to be one of those _really_ bad days.

The chains held his arms far too tightly behind his back. Hero struggled. He dug his heels in, refusing to move. One of the troopers cracked him in the back of the skull. Hero winced and kept on moving. He hurt all over from his scuffle on the ship's deck. They were taking him in atmo, which could mean any number of things. And none of them were good. Hero didn't glance at Sara. The little girl wasn't cuffed, but they were watching over her with blaster drawn. Like an eight year old could do much damage.

A man in rich Mandalorian robes brushed past the group of troopers. "So. This is the dog who killed Master Faelan's nexu. Do you remember me, clone?"

Hero looked at him. The man looked familiar, there was something about him that gave Hero the chills. He swallowed, trying not to look the man in the eye. "I don't know you."

The Mandalorian slapped Hero across the face. "Say, 'I don't know, sir', and I won't punish you."

Hero spat in his face. "That nexu would have killed someone! It already killed a child's dog! What makes you think it wouldn't have killed a child?"

"And I  suppose you care?" The Mandalorian asked. He nodded to the troopers and they pushed Hero into his hands. Something about the man was giving Hero the creeps. He tried to get away, but a savage kick to the backs of the legs stopped him. He winced, refusing to cry out. Something hard pushed into his back. Hero froze, trying to gather his wits about him. He was just a clone trooper. A normal. Not an ARC. Not an Alpha. Not a Null. Nothing special... "Don't you remember me, CT-2019? Don't you remember what you did to my Clansmen?"

"I have no idea who you are," Hero said through gritted teeth. He would not scream. He would not show fear. He would not do anything that made this bastard hurt him even more. Because that was what this animal wanted to do to him. He only hoped Sara wouldn't have to see it. The girl was from the slave barrio, but that didn't mean that she needed to see him being abused. "I went through reconditioning! I don't know anything!"

The Mandalorian threw him across the bed. Hero scrambled aside, looking for a weapon. He reached for the Force, but only felt a blank void in return. His heart was pounding, knees shaking.

"You almost killed me, you clone bastard!" the Mandalorian snapped. "Don't you remember me? My name is Thrang Rajin! I'm the man you shot on the gut! You betrayed my Clansmen to Asajj Ventress and let them be slaughtered!"

Hero looked at him blankly. "Yeah...not ringing any bells. I don't know who you are. I'm sorry, you must be an important man, but I have no memories. The Kaminoans took them."

"The Kaminoans were supposed to take your life." Rajin effortlessly pinned Hero down. The clone struggled for a few moments. He was panting, looking for a weapon.

"Rude!" Hero twisted around, his cheeks flaming. He was shy about his body. Most brothers were. "Listen! Whatever I did before, I'm sorry! Just don't do this to me!"

"I've wanted to have you for years, clone," Rajin growled. "And don't think your brothers would have cared. You were always too smart for them, weren't you? The brother who never backed down, who was as sly as a fox. But let's see where the slyness gets you this time..."

 

**********

 

By the time Hero came too, he was sticky with blood. His entire body ached and...something felt wrong. He could barely pick his head up. Something had been violated. He wasn't sure what, but something was. And then a memory flashed in front of his eyes.

_"Cody!"_

_The brother turns around. He's irritated, like he always is. Raised by Kal Skirata, but taken away because he wasn't a Null. Like Jango's Alpha Troopers who were imprisoned because of what Jango taught them. "What," Cody snarls, "do you want?"_

_He drops back, panting. "You have to help, brother. Please..."_

_"Your Master owns you," Cody stiffly says._

_He looks horrified, "But I don't want too! The Jedi say the Seppies do that all the time..."_

_Cody put his hand on his shoulder. "Slick. We all have burdens to bear. This one is yours."_

_"But he's gonna hurt me..." Slick couldn't keep the tremor from his voice. He had only just escaped some Separatist forces a few months before. The memories of what they did to him is haunting. What good are Jedi if they don't control the predators?_

_"There's nothing you can do about it, then."_

He raised his head,  trying to fight the tears. Because Rajin had been right. None of his brothers had cared. And he was just a useless, worthless traitor.

CT-2019 had betrayed several Mandalorian trainers to Asajj Ventress. And CT-2019...was Hero

Slick didn't deserve to be called Hero. He was just another worthless traitor.


	12. Things Happen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Drali makes his appearance and Ahsoka gets big news

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because my good friend on the other site I post this begged for an update. I shall give it to her, else I'll be driven mad

There were some things Ahsoka didn't trust the clones with. One of those had to be female issues. Kix could handle them, but the others _couldn't_. And, as far as Ahsoka knew, Kix was dead. Kasey, thank the Maker, was on the mend. It had been funny to note that the clones used "Maker", rogues used "Saint Murphy", and the Jedi used "Force". Jaing, her newest recruit, tended to use "Saint Murphy". Probably because he was a Null and Nulls tended to do what they liked. Ahsoka really did hope that the others had gotten away. Jaing was tight lipped about his experience, but she'd seen the bruises and the scarring. No one deserved that.

"I wish Anakin was still alive," she whispered. The _Tiger_ hadn't lifted off yet, mostly because Ahsoka needed to make this stop. And she liked being dirtside. Being cooped up on a ship got old fast. She slipped into the clinic, trying to calm her nerves. This would probably be the last thing she needed right now. And how would Rex take the news? "I'm pretty sure he would know what to do right now..."

Neva Whitestone looked up from her paperwork. The woman smiled broadly. This woman was Savage Opress's saving grace. Somehow, she could put up with Darth Maul _and_ his brother. Maul was usually elsewhere, like on Tyre or Sidon, but Savage hung around his mate's clinic. There wasn't much the one-armed Zabrak didn't scare off when it came to rabble. Even if that rabble included stormtroopers. There was something about the male's golden eyes that made even those worst criminal scurry off.

"Is he wearing his prosthetic today?" Ahsoka asked. She could feel Savage through the Force. The man was as subtle as a bull rancor.

The red haired woman rolled her eyes. "What do you think?"

"He's trying to weld a blaster to it?" Ahsoka guessed.

"Close. Try adding a vibro-blade extension to his fingers," Neva sighed. "I'm about to hide the power tools. On the plus side, no bone crushing hugs for you."

Ahsoka chuckled. "He might not...not if what I think is happening is happening."

"Which is...?" Neva asked. She sat beside her friend. Neva wasn't a Force-user, but she had helped out during the Clone Wars. "And I have someone you need to take. His name is Drali."

"Why?" Ahsoka asked. "Why can't you keep him here? Like you've done with Chaos and Swift?"

"He's blind. It's neurological, so we can't go in unless we want to risk killing him," Neva explained. "We've managed to locate the problem to his cortex. We think some shrapnel got in there and messed him up. I've managed to moleculize it, but the damage is done."

"Shit." Ahsoka swallowed. "A permanently blind man."

_Can I bring him on the crew? What with Torrent being Torrent?_

Torrent had been tortured viciously by the Imperials in an attempt to make him a stormtrooper. It hadn't worked and he'd been sold as a slave. Ahsoka had bought him and brought him on the _Crouching Tiger_. Torrent was highly touchy, but he loved Ahsoka. He wasn't as puppy-like as Jay was (Jay would crawl in your lap if he needed too), but Torrent needed her touching him. He needed reassurance that it was okay, the he was fine.

"I can't keep a blind clone." Neva stood and gathered her papers. "Please, Ahsoka...you're the best set up for this. I couldn't get a hold of Yeager, she's out of range, but I don't think she could take another one."

Ahsoka understood. "Can I see him?"

Neva nodded and went to her back room. Ahsoka rubbed her forearms. Why was she even _thinking_ of this? Bringing a new clone, a **_blind_** clone, into an already tense environment...It wasn't just a bad idea, it could kill the clone!

Drali didn't look like much. He was dark haired, with Jango Fett's tawny complexion, and he moved with a grace the belied his disability. A blind clone was worthless. It was his eyes, that were milky hazel, that told Ahsoka he was truly blind. And the fact that he awkwardly felt for the chair before he sat down. She touched the Force and briefly scanned his head. Nothing too bad, mostly that he was frightened and wanted to go back to the back room. He hadn't been a pleasure slave, just used for labor. So no aftermath of rape for the crew to deal with.

"Hello, Drali," Ahsoka said.

His head jerked towards her. "Who...are you?"

Neva handed the results of the test taken earlier back to the Togruta woman before speaking. "She's Captain Ahsoka Tano of the _Crouching Tiger_. A very good friend of mine, might I add."

Drali nodded, his sightless hazel eyes locked on to hers. "I understand, Neva."

Ahsoka read the paper rapidly and her heart stopped. " ** _Shit_**..."

Her gut instinct had been right. Ahsoka just hoped she could tell Rex. Hoped he would understand, for her.

"So, if you could go with Captain Tano and get off world..." Neva trailed off.

The blind clone swallowed. "Yeah...I can."

Neva hugged him. "I'll miss you, buddy."

Ahsoka took his hand numbly.

_How am I going to explain things to Rex...?_

 She knew he would be shocked, most likely. The clones had no concept of childhood. To be fair, most of the Jedi didn't, either. So could she really expect him to act the way she wanted him too? Ahsoka could only hope that he did. 

Drali matched his pace with hers pretty well. She guessed he came from the slave barrio, as most clones on Rhea did. How he escaped and found Neva was beyond her. She wouldn't put it past Savage to steal a slave, as he had been one himself and tended to frown upon slavery, but she didn't see Neva as a thief. Ahsoka sighed. She did remember Neva cornering a Mandalorian trainer with a blaster and telling him that if he hurt another clone, she would end him. Neva might be a slender little stick (but she had three cute children--Lukas, Pire, and Lil), but she was still tough. You had to be tough to be from Harvest. Harvest had never been very stable, and Neva did know how to fight.

Drali squeezed her hand. "Captain?"

"It's fine, Drali," she assured him. The blind clone didn't look all that convinced. He wasn't terrified of her, either. And that was a good thing. Was Rex ready for a family, though? Could he manage the _Tiger_ and a child? Especially if said child was likely to be a Force-sensitive? Her life had just gone to hell in a hand basket, Ahsoka decided.

But first things first. Drali needed a meal and she needed to check on Jaing. Two new clones in as many days, plus Crys was on the mend.

Something, though, told Ahsoka that it wasn't over yet and the real prize was in terrible danger.


	13. Oh, Hell No!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaing and Rex...get used to each other. With varying results

" _Ni or'parguur gar_!" Jaing snarled. He wasn't sure why he'd screamed that at Captain Rex, nor did he care to find out. Maybe it was a result of his beating. The other _vod_ hadn't done easy on him. Not that Jaing would ever expect it. What ever went easy for a NullARC? It seemed like it was his lot in life to be abused. " _Ni or'parguur gar_! _Ni or'parguur gar_!"

" _Pirusti, Ni or'parguur gar or'atu_!" Rex retorted. He came out of the engine room, fire blazing in his hazrl eyes. Jaing didn't take a step back. Nulls weren't know for being that smart and Jaing wasn't changing that misconception. Not anytime soon. If he was smart enough to charm his way on to a ship owned by Force users, then he was smart enough to do most everything. And Jaing did like to learn new things. Other classes tended to memorize. Nulls _learned_. It was one of the reasons why the Kamies had wanted the Nulls put down. They were considered too smart for their own good.

A Null, however, was smart enough to realize someone was trying to help them. Jaing owed Kal Skirata his life. Skirata had pretty much rescued six Nulls and proved they could be trained as soldiers. Now, the traditonal methods of training (deprivation, beatings, and rote memorization) wouldn't work very well on a Null. Nulls were known for being stubborn and hard to deal with. But an Alpha Trooper... Alphas had short tempers. They were on the opposite end of the emotional spectrum from the placid, calm maintenance clones. Like 99. 99 _still_ didn't have a name, something that was driving Captain Tano mad. Jaing could get used to having two Captains.

He had watched the Kaminoans knock the Alpha Troopers out. Then watched so many of them slaughtered after not even Jango Fett could train them. Yet a wisp of a Jedi girl had managed to tame the most violent of them. Null-24, aka Swift, had been Cenna Tak's personal body guard.

" _Shabuir_!" Jaing yelled. " _Gar_ piece _be osik_!" Then he started to run, because Rex was chasing him with a welding torch. Jaing could run fast, but he was still hungry. Still malnourished, was what  Trigger said. And Trigger would know because he was the ship medic. "Trigger! Help me!" He darted into the medical bay. Crys jumped up from where he'd been reading a comic page. Jaing tried not to laugh about the choice of reading material. That got he book hummed at his head. Jaing ducked and froze. Rex's heavy boots thumped outside and he could hear the man cursing under his breath.

"What," Crys asked, "did you do?"

"Called him a jerk and a piece of shit," Jaing muttered. He picked up the comic book and thumbed through it before handing it back to Crys. The man was _still_ laid up. This time, though, was because of an accident during training. Torrent was sparring with Crys and accidentally broke Crys' leg. It had been a genuine accident, though, and no one was angry about it. Sometimes bad things just happened.

"That would do it," Crys chuckled. "That man doesn't understand what fear is."

"He's sleeping with a Jedi," Jaing muttered. "Of course he doesn't. And what is it with you and comic books?"

"Some of us have things wrong with our heads," Crys muttered. "Dyslexia is pretty common in the normals. ARCs are a little unstable. Nulls like you...I've heard you guys can have black outs."

"That's an Alpha Trooper." Jaing scooted over to 99's sleeping form. The slight clone was sleeping heavily. He wasn't writhing in a nightmare, thankfully. Torrent said 99 had been captured by the Bando Gora, then later sold to Ahsoka. The little maintenance clone was very good with his hands and could fix almost anything. "Nulls tend to be a little paranoid."

_99 fixes things and I break them. Like the shower this morning..._

Crys shrugged. "Yeah, and I have trouble reading. Plus...who doesn't like reading about your own exploits?"

Jaing gave Crys a long look. "I would imagine it would be fun," he growled. "If you can read."

_Because I can't. Not in Standard, anyways. Skirata only taught us **Mando'a**._

The blonde's eyes widened. "You can't read?"

"Nope." Jaing stretched out on the other bed. He fully intended to take a nap and then get some lunch. Blaze had fixed some kind of fancy tomato sauce with a name Jaing couldn't pronounce. Arrabbiata sauce or something like that. Jaing liked it because it was spicy.

He woke up thirty minutes later to Rex doodling on his face with sharpie.

"Hey!" Jaing jumped up, slapping Rex aside. "Oh, hell no! What did you do?!"

Crys was looking studiously at his comic book. "I saw nothing."

"Go look in the mirror, asshole," Rex smiled. He was dying of laughter.

Jaing forced himself to walk over to the big mirror. Rex had drawn a mustache, kitty whiskers, fake eyebrows, little heart shapes, dots, colored in what looked like eye makeup, and generally done his best to make Jaing look like an idiot. Then he looked down at his hands. Rex had colored in his nails with purple magic marker and drawn on little bracelets and rings. And a big heart tattoo with the word "Mom" in it. He pulled up his other sleeve, horror dawning across his face. Rex had just _colored_ on him. With what looked to be an entire _tray_ of sharpies and magic markers.

"You _bastard_ ," Jaing muttered.

Rex crossed his arms. "That's what you get for calling me a piece of shit."

Jaing looked down. 99 was more awake than he looked. He just smiled and pressed a thick black sharpie into Jaing's hand. Jaing nodded his thanks and stalked up to Rex.

"Hey! Personal space, brother!"

"Oh, it's about to get personal!" Jaing yelled. He pinned Rex to the wall and started coloring in a black beard. "You colored on me! I'll color on you!"

Crys started howling with laughter. "Someone get a comm! We'll post this on the HoloNet and be millionaires!"

Jaing held Rex down with one hand and scrawled 'I love Ahsoka Tano' and 'I'm a Jedi's Bitch' across the man's face and arms. Rex howled with outrage when he read the last one.

"You didn't!"

Jaing wrote it again on the other arm before pushing Rex away. Rex rubbed at the markings, which only made them worse. By this point, Crys and 99 were trying not to choke from laughing.

Of course, that would also be the time Captain Tano herself walked in, leading a _vod_ by the hand.

"So..." she slowly said, taking in the mess. "What'd I miss?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the moral of this story is to never fall asleep around someone you just called a piece of shit, kids!


	14. Get Out of Here!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Slick has to come to grips with the man he used to be. His memories are coming back in a trickle and none of them are good. His old Master, Thrang Rajin, holds all the power over him. Will our boy survive? Or will the strain kill him?

Slick couldn't do anything.

Not only was his backside so sore he didn't want to walk, he'd been chained down. Rajin _really_ didn't want him to escape, did he? It made Slick wonder about the full extend of his abilities. He had been taken dry. Either Rajin couldn't find the lubrication or he liked to taken then dry. It just hurt him. What hurt Slick the worst, though, was the fact that he'd betrayed his _vode_. His brothers had been counting on him to lead them. Slick hadn't been able to do that. He'd gotten himself captured and killed. It hurt so much, knowing that. He'd left his brothers in the dust because he couldn't take what his Master wanted to give him.

_The Kamies were right. I'm just a meat droid._

He didn't even deserve the scraps his Master brought him.

Slick knelt by his Master's bed. His bare back was shining in blood an bruises decorated his hips and thighs. He looked _bad_. He felt _bad_. He could use a little alcohol in order to lose himself, in order to forget the hand snaking down his bare ass. All Slick wanted to do was close his eyes and die. He deserved this, didn't? He'd betrayed his comrades to the Separatists. That alone should have gotten him killed. In the end, all it got him was sent to clone jail. Or, Theed City in the wintertime. If you didn't starve, you froze to death.

All Slick wanted to do was die.

Master Rajin frowned as he ran his hands over the thick ridges. "We should soothe those."

"Yes, Master," Slick murmured. He had to ask. He'd made a promise, had he not? "What about Sara, Master? Is she...okay?"

Rajin looked at him. "Yes, the slave girl is all right. She's being well taken care of. As for you..." He stroked the cleft of Slick's ass, making the man shiver with disgust. He didn't pull away, because that would earn him another beating. The man just wanted to die, but he'd bet Master Rajin wouldn't allow it. "I could rub you with oil, keep your skin as sleek and pretty as a spoiled whore. Because that's what you are. You're my whore."

Slick jerked back. "No! I'm _not_ your whore!"

The Mandalorian slapped him. "You," he hissed, "are whatever I want you to be!"

The clone tried to get himself free. The spiked collar around his neck prevented him from dropping his head down lower. And it hurt. Oh, how it hurt. The barbs dug into his tender skin. But didn't he deserve it, for all he'd done? Because it hurt him so much. He'd gotten six Mandalorians killed. They did deserve it, but he deserved to be tortured for daring to act like he did.

"M-m-master?" Slick stammered.

Rajin yanked on his chain. Slick stood on shaky legs. He didn't feel good, not by any stretch of the imagination. The man just wanted to sleep. His body hurt. Blood trickled between his legs, mixed with other...substances. He didn't want to think of them.

"I already lost my Null ARC," Rajin snarled. Slick could smell the alcohol on his breath. He swallowed and looked away. That was because it hurt. He was kept chained here, only allowed to get up if he needed to use the refresher. But Saint Murphy in his locker, couldn't someone take pity on him? Hunger gnawed in his belly. He had nothing against stealing, not now. Not when he was so hungry he wanted to cry out. "I don't want to lose my slave, too!"

"Did you take him?" Slick asked.

The chain jerked, forcing Slick to his knees with a howl. He was just a cloned man. He didn't have a Nulls tenacity, an ARC's raw strength, an Alpha's unpredictable temper, or the placid nature of a maintenance clone. He was just a grunt with above average intelligence. All he could do was use his smarts. But when you were chained like he was, nothing could help you. The blood trickled from his neck, caused by the blood dripping down from the cuts on his neck. He ached and he wanted the collar off.

"What do you think?" Rajin slowly asked.

Slick tried to quell his nausea. Throwing up would only make the collar hurt worse. He did hurt, but the wounds were soul deep.

"He could have killed you," Slick softly said. He'd seen a Null kill a Seppie foot soldier once. It wasn't pretty. He could imagine a clone like that Null trying to rip Rajin limbs from limb. "He _should_ have killed you."

Rajin back handed Slick across the face. The chain jerked into his neck, making him scream. The spikes jabbed into him _hard_. He cried out and fell to his knees. THe man loomed over him, riding crop twitching. Slick didn't want to give in. ** _Ever_**. And he couldn't, not if there was breath left in his body. He had survived too much. His memories had came back to him now, a bewildering mix of torture, cold steel tables, fire in his veins, and brothers. He was crying out now, trying to struggle as Rajin forced his legs open. He punched the man in the face and tried to rear back.

"No! You're hurting me! _What part of stop don't you understand_?!" He was screaming hysterically, wishing for someone to help. For his powers to come back in. Because he was so terrified. It would hurt, just like it hurt every other time. " ** _I said stop_**!"

His unpredictable powers came flying to him, making Rajin fly backwards. The Mandalorian landed hard. He stood up with fire blazing in his eyes. Slick trembled. The chains kept him from moving. He was so afraid...

His fear lent him power. Slick focused it on the hated chains, willing them to break. He watched as they fell to the ground with a clatter. Slick was breathing heavily, his eyes glassy. He'd done it. He'd used his powers. They had saved him... He could do this. He could figure out how to use his powers and get out of here. Because he hurt so much...

"Get out of here!" Rajin screamed. "They didn't tell me you were a kriffing _Force user_!"

To be honest, Slick hadn't know. He hastily grabbed a pair of Rajin's trousers and dressed. He needed to run. Grab Sara and get the hell out of here. Because it might not be enough...

He'd cross that bridge when he got there. One step at a time, that was how Slick took it. One step at a time.


	15. The Awakening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ahsoka feels something in the Force...and gets a visitor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realized I haven't updated this in ages! I'm sorry!

Ahsoka Tano was not what you would call a heavy sleeper. You got that trained out of you if you were a soldier like she was. Ahsoka had saved herself on more than one occasion by being a light sleeper and waking up when she needed too. It was a fine line, though, between sleeping like a feather and getting some rest. Well earned rest, in her case.

They were still on Rhea. The bad feelings Ahsoka had just wouldn't let her go away. It was like she still had some sort of pressing business that the Force wasn't telling her about. It got very annoying at times. There was this _feeling_ , but nothing with it. No visions from the Force, nothing. Just a persistent ache where her heart usually resided. It was the sort of thing that hurt too much if you thought about it. Like some part of her had been destroyed before she could stop it.

_'You can't get back what they take from you.'_

Ahsoka turned around, looking at a kindly long haired man. He wore the Jedi robes of old and there seemed to be a sadness about him. He was lightly bearded, as most male Jedi were, but his long hair was pulled back from his face like a Zabrak Warrior. Ahsoka could see the lightsaber hilt on his hip. Brown eyes, warm with wisdom, latched into hers. Ahsoka took a deep breath. She tried looking at the Force ghost, but he seemed hazy in view. Like he wanted to be just enough there to get her attention. Ahsoka glanced down at Rex. He was sleeping peacefully, pressed against her side. She swung out of bed. The ghost nodded his head and started walking.

He stopped in front of one of the massive bay windows. The cold back drop of space surrounded them on all sides. The _Tiger_ was just a tiny ship trying to make her way through the vastness of space.

"Master Qui-Gon?" Ahsoka softly asked.

He nodded. _'There has been an awakening.'_

"Of what?" Ahsoka asked. She hated trying to press the man, but she felt she had too. "I haven't really felt--"

_'But you have,'_ Qui-Gon insisted. His ghostly hand settled just above her chest. _'You feel it in here. He has awoken.'_

" ** _Who_** has?" Ahsoka asked.

_'The reason why you came to Rhea,'_ Qui-Gon patiently explained. _'He needs your help. The Empire wishes to do him harm.'_

"I'm afraid you'll have to be more specific," Ahsoka tersely said. "the Empire wants to control the entire bloody galaxy!"

_'I understand that, but this man needs training. He didn't ask for this power, Ahsoka. He only wanted his freedom.'_

"So does half the galaxy," Ahsoka retorted. Then her features softened. "I've talked to your son. He's doing better, I think. Living now. He'll make it."

_'I did not come here to talk about my son,'_ Qui-Gon retorted. _'I came here to tell you to look around! That NullARC you took in is not the only one hurt by the man who hurt the new Force-user. He only just woke his abilities, Ahsoka! Think about what the Empire would do with a fledgling Force-user of his power...'_

It was a sobering thought. Ahsoka knew all to well what the Empire did with the Inquisitors. The thought of a child being forced to take such a path made her stomach curl. It would be awhile before Ahsoka had to drop out of the fight, but she was close enough to being a mother herself that she wanted to keen in pain. What mother should be forced to lose her child to monsters? What child should be forced to wander in darkness? Ahsoka had only heard snippets of Maul's story, but she knew Maul hadn't wanted to be Dark. He was a Jedi's son, after all. Master Sidious had thought that forcing Maul to kill his father would cement the Darkness inside him. But thank Saint Murphy that it hadn't. Maul could live in a shadowy grey world, mostly thanks to his father.

"I'll try to find him," Ahsoka finally said. "I'm making no promises."

_'He has great power, Ahsoka. Not as great as Anakin's, but he could tip the war in the Empire's favor,'_ Qui-Gon warned. The Jedi Knight looked more careworn than he usually did. _'And he is angry...rightfully so, might I add. I only wish I could have directed someone to my son...'_

Maul, Ahsoka knew, had been born as the result of a one night stand between Qui-Gon and a Nightsister. The red Zabrak knew all about being unwanted.

"I'll find him," Ahsoka promised. "How old is this kid?"

_'He's no child,'_ Qui-Gon smiled. _'He's about Rex's age.'_

Ahsoka nodded. "How will I know who he is?"

_'He has the silent nature of a raging hurricane, at the moment. He is also traveling with a young Twi'lek girl named Sara. She is Boil's daughter.'_

She felt a lump in her throat form at the mention of Boil. He had died for a lost cause... It made his death all that much more painful. That was why she rescued every clone trooper she could.

"I'll find him," Ahsoka vowed. "I'll find him and train him with the Force."

Ahsoka had no idea what she'd just signed up for...


	16. We'll Try to Find Him

Jaing should have known all about how crazy Force-users could be. After all, it had been a bunch of Force-users who tried to have his brothers killed. And those same Force-users had the Alpha-troopers put down. It really was sickening at times, to see how much power a Force-user had over the lives of everyone around them. They could go through minds, rip open hearts, and kill with a look. That just was not fair, if you asked Jaing. But no one had ever asked Jaing anything.

No one except the maddening Captain of the _Crouching Tiger_ , Ahsoka Tano.

The Togruta woman herself sat in front of Jaing. "So... I need to ask you something."

Jaing raised his hazel eyes. "Ask away. I am at your service." He spoke stiffly, as he always did. It was a product of poor socialization. As failures, the Nulls didn't receive much in the way of goodies. The other classes (minus the Alphas. They were put to sleep in the tanks if they were lucky. Shot if they weren't) got decent socialization and training. Jaing knew that one of the Jedi, a young woman named Cenna Vos, managed to hide away about fifteen Alphas. Out of the three hundred odd of their class produced, of course.

"I need you to visit the city with me," Ahsoka said. "I'm not a local, so I don't know my way around."

He nodded. "Might I ask why?"

"Well, a Force-ghost told me someone needed my help," Ahsoka explained. She didn't skip a beat. "He sort of woke me up in the middle of last night. As much as I like getting feedback, I don't like getting messages. Or jobs."

"Do you know who needs help?" Jaing asked. He felt some of his old nature resurfacing as he spoke. It felt good...it felt _right_ , to be at the forefront of battle. Jaing just hoped he knew what he was doing with this.

Ahsoka grimaced. "Qui-Gon didn't tell me who. We know it's a guy and he's about Rex's age. He didn't know he had the Force until...he used it."

"Makes sense," Jaing reasoned. "Maybe the Imps picked the wrong guy to torture or something." He still shuddered to think of his own experiences with interrogation. Sometimes, Master Rajin had had him interrogate a prisoner. Never mind that Jaing didn't like doing that. As far as Rajin cared, Jaing lived for his Master's praise. That was not true in the slightest, either. Jaing just wanted food in his belly and a decent place to sleep. "Will you be able to find him?"

The Jedi woman nodded. It was funny to see how much Jaing respected her and how much he'd hated the other Jedi. "I don't think he knows how to shield himself. He's really vulnerable right now. I doubt he knows if he's broadcasting his powers or not."

"For our sakes, I hope he knows how to hide," Jaing growled. He rubbed his forehead, thinking about it. He wasn't doing anything on the ship anyways. He was really just trying to stay out of Rex's way. As much as he respected the man (who almost made ARC trooper. Imagine that! A normal being trained as an ARC!), Jaing was a little afraid of him. No one wanted to be on the leadership's bad side. Not if you wanted to live very long, that was. And Jaing rather liked being a free man, so he was going to keep on Rex's good side as much as he could. "I'll go with you, Captain Tano."

Ahsoka nodded and stood. "Good man. We need to leave as soon as possible, even if we want to beat the rain."

Jaing grabbed his coat and followed her. He was from Kamino. Rain didn't bother him. A hail of blasterfire might, but not a rainstorm. But Ahsoka seemed different than that. Like she wanted to keep out of the wet. Maybe it came from her being non-human? Jaing shrugged and filed the question where it belonged--in the trash bin of his mind. The second he stepped outside the _Tiger_ , the wind struck him in the face. Jaing breathed low and deep. It smelled like rain. He smiled to himself. Then cursed under his breath. Ahsoka had already taken off. She was marching away from him at a sharp pace. Jaing figured that it wouldn't endear him to Rex if he let the man's girlfriend wander off.

He followed her as quickly as he could. Above them, the sky was iron grey and heavy with clouds. Only a few beings stirred outside. Most were Imperial drones who couldn't wait to a hail a speeder. The wind whistled through the most abandoned city square, kicking up pieces of trash. All around them, the windows shone like bits of colored glass. Jaing smiled slightly as he saw them. When he was just a young boy, he'd wanted to see the stars. Kal Skirata had taken them all up in his old Polaris, but it had been Jaing to just look at the flaming hot star they approached. The others had been too interested in the ship's guns and AI systems. But Jaing...Jaing had just watched that blazing mass and felt heat on his face. He'd been able to look at his skin, tanned from genetics, and imagine it as shin tanned from a life outside.

He still didn't understand why some people lived in ships all their lives.

"I don't feel him anymore," Ahsoka murmured. Jaing looked at her with fresh eyes. She would have been a child, he realized. A child in the Clone Wars. Though he knew little of Ahsoka Tano's story, he knew she'd left the Jedi Order. Her very loyal Captain Rex had followed her. It was what saved Ahsoka's life after Order 66 happened.

"It might be a good idea to go back, Captain," Jaing finally said. He knew, though, from the look in her eyes that that wasn't an option. She was every bit as stubborn as he was, if not a little more.


	17. You Saved Me, I'll Save You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtJVK17GDgI
> 
> My writing music for this one. I apologize to all who use the link....

It was all Slick could do to keep it together. He just wanted it to stop. He wanted the pain in his heart to go away. Slick wanted to just sleep and never wake up. But he couldn't, mostly because he had Sara with him. The girl deserved her chance at life. He couldn't take that away from her like his chance had been taken. Because it was gone, wasn't it? The Empire would want him back. Especially after he climbed six walls and a razor wire fence. All of this to be a free man. Because he could and he felt that it was owed to him. Even if he'd been created to be a slave, he was still worth freedom. Wasn't he? Wasn't he? Or was it just another lie the galaxy had fed him?

The chill wind surrounded his body as Slick and Sara walked. The Twi'lek girl must have known something bad had happened to him. She was far quieter than normal, as if she felt his pain. Maybe she was a little Force-sensitive? Slick didn't know. He did know that his powers had fully come in. It was as if he'd been born blind and allowed to see. Everything was suddenly sharper and clearer. Like he could see every little thing that came his way. As a more than slightly paranoid Normal, Slick liked the ability to do this. He liked being in control.

"You okay?" Sara asked.

"I'm still breathing, kid," Slick managed. "And that's all that matters right now. We'll get you to the Rebellion."

"What about you?" Sara asked. Her amber eyes locked in with Slick's hazel ones.

The clone looked away. "I'm...not important. Not like you are. Not like your father was." Slick had never seen his _vod_ , but that didn't mean they weren't kin. _Aliit cuyir or'atu_ than _tal_. Family is more than blood. It was a Mandalorian saying and Slick figured he was _technically_ a Mandalorian. Not that any Clan would accept a piece _be go'naasir_ like him. But Sara...Sara deserved the _beskar'gam_ of a true Mandalorian.

"You are!" Sara protested. "The nexu woulda _eaten_ me!"

Slick shook his head. The child wouldn't understand. She was too young and would not understand that he'd been created as a meat droid to throw in front of metal droids during a war. He didn't bother to protest, instead looking for a good place to rest.

Another presence brushed against his own. Slick froze, his heart hammering. It didn't feel evil, but he didn't know if he could trust anything in the galaxy right now. His mind was still reeling at the recently returned memories. Had he been reconditioned? Or had he just his his head?Slick wasn't sure, but he knew what he had to do. Step one--get out of here. Step two--get Sara on a ship bound for the Rebellion. She deserved to be a Jedi padawan with Mandalorian ties. Yes, such things had happened before. Slick was _sure_ of it. He had just lost most of the military history knowledge he'd learned from reading...a Jedi Knight's books. Great. He could see the kid's face (blonde, with blue eyes, a winning smile, and a Togruta padawan. One of the few Jedi who had been nice to him. Slick hoped he was okay), but he couldn't remember the kid's name.

_Well. That just puts a damper on things, doesn't it?_

"I was doing my duty," he explained. "That was what I was trained to do."

"I can feel someone," Sara whispered. She touched his hand, a little spark pf excitement in her eyes. "Maybe they'll help us!"

Come to think of it, the person they both felt had kind of the same feeling as that Togruta padawan...

"I think I know this person," Slick murmured. He smiled and drew back behind a building. The brick scratched through his thin clothing. The reason why his clothing was so thin was that it was the clothes he'd worn to prison. Just washed out half a thousand times. "Wait here, kid."

"I will." Sara nodded, she looked so much older than her eight years.

Slic pulled his worn coat over himself as he walked out. He locked eyes with the Null ARC. The man's eyes widened and he dropped his hand to his blaster. But it was the Togruta that made him gasp.

Unbidden, her name tumbled from his mouth.

"...Ahsoka...?" he whispered. He felt weak in the knees, looking at his old friend, all grown up. How...? But how...? How had this happened? Why was she here? Why hadn't she died with the other Jedi? "You're all grown up now..."

Strong arms wrapped around his neck. Slick was reminded of how he'd carried her out of a swollen river so many years ago. Master Plo Koon had been fighting. He'd seen the girl go in and he'd rescued her. Except...this time, she was the one rescuing _him_. He could still smell the blaster fire, hear the cries of the fallen. He'd forded a flood-stage river to save the life of a child he didn't even know.

"I knew you were still alive." Ahsoka drew back. She smiled bitter-sweetly. "It is you, isn't it?"

"Yeah." He hugged her again, trying to get his bearings. "Yeah, it's me..."

"I had no idea..." Ahsoka trailed off. "Cody told me, all these years later, what happened. I forgive you."

Slick looked away. "There's nothing to forgive, 'Soka. I tried to save myself."

"I wanna hug too!" Sara came darting around from her corner and attached herself to Ahsoka's leg. The Null ARC smiled and shook his head. Sara looked up. "Are you a Jedi like Slick? He made guards fly into the air! And then he picked a lock!"

"Yes, I'm a Jedi," Ahsoka managed.

"Whilst this is very touching and all, we need to move," the Null grimly said.

Slick nodded. He could feel the storm coming and figured it would be best to weather it indoors.


	18. Dark Side of the Force

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Introducing Darth Xelian...
> 
> Ahsoka's cat, Lily  
> https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/48/2e/88/482e88b713ad97d7cb0b7661cb915200.jpg

Rhea was home to all manner of criminals and scum. In his days before, Darth Xelian would have seen the need to try and teach these poor souls another way. Send the eligible young children to a school, perhaps. Teach the parents a trade. But all of that was in the past now and Xelian's thoughts were as straight as the lightsaber clipped to his belt.

If one looked at him, the first thing they would see were his eyes. They were a liquid gold, the middle ringed by red fire. The eyes of a Sith Lord. But Darth Xelian was no true Lord of the Sith. His title, "Darth", meant slave. He was still technically a slave, not much had changed since his days in the Amy, but lord Vader gave Xelian his head. There was very little the Sith was not allowed to do, short of taking an apprentice or a mate. Xelian had no thought of doing either of those things. Such a thing would force Xelian to betray his Master, something that made him cringe.

He was not the traitor Kraan.

The Sith pulled his cloak over his short brown hair. He looked like every other Mandalorian on the street, minus his gold and red eyes. Not that anyone would get a close look at him. Xelian had an aura about him, an aura of coldness and danger. He was not the sort of man to cross, even if you had an Army at your back.

Lord Vader had been good to him, rescuing Xelian when he was weak and dying. Giving Xelian the training he needed to survive the harsh, almost toxic world of the Outer Rim. Some asteroid hops made Nar Shadda look clean. _Those_ were the places Xelian never went if he could help it. If not, he always sent his lackeys in first. A few of the stormtroopers might not have liked a man like him leading them, but there was little they could do. Xelian had no intention of ever backing down again.

The rain swept over him. Xelian ignored the wetness and instead focused on following the tracks of his quarry. CT-2109. A former Sergeant during the Clone Wars. Then a traitor who helped get _vode_ killed. Some said that he paid Asaj Ventress for her deeds by sleeping with her. Others swore he was into a certain Jedi Knight named Anakin Skywalker. Xelian, frankly, did not care. Whilst some clones had fallen in love, others had been wiser and shunned bonds. Xelians was one of them.

He touched the Force, listening for CT-2109's signature. The man had never been quiet. Xelian had been trained under Kal Skirata. He knew how to stay silent during torture. He'd had to learn. But, then again, Xelian was a man who knew what he wanted. And he wanted to obey Master Vader and recapture the traitor. Not kill, but recapture. Lord Vader was quite interested in the man for reasons Xelian would never understand. If he would just allow the traitor to rot as he deserved too...

But maybe Lord Vader still held a little bit of sympathy for the man. Xelian did _not_.

Kraan had moved quickly before stopping. He wasn't on Rhea, not anymore, and it looked like he had moved elsewhere. If Xelian focused enough, he could hear the grumble of ship engines and smell soup on a stove. There was a cat on the scarred galley table. A tortoiseshell, he thought. Almost every ship in the Outer Rim had a cat aboard to help with mice. Plus, some people just liked cats. He could only hear just a light buzz of conversation. Most of the crew, he idly though, were clones. Traitors to the Empire. By rights...and by Order 65, he should kill them. The chip in his skull, though, had long since been deactivated. Xelian was mas much of a free man as he would ever be.

He turned back to his ship, the _Uncontrollable One_. It was aptly fitting, he thought. Xelian was as much of a loose cannon as the Empire would allow in its ranks. But that was what made him such a good assassin.

"Lord Vader." Xelian pulled off his rain sodden cloak and knelt before the hologram. "CT-2109 has left the area. I did not find him."

The Dark Lord gazed over his sodden slave. "Is that so, Xelian?"

"My Lord, I have reason to believe he is heading for Lothal," Xelian continued. "The Zabrak and his mate have no recollection of me questioning them. As for the Togruta... My Lord, she is pregnant."

"I see." Lord Vader's harsh breathing was the only sound in the room. "Did I ever tell you how valuable you are, Xelian? You would be one of the few who are able to throw off their old memories."

"I have burned my armor, Lord Vader. I exist to serve you."

"As you do." Lord Vader seemed to be thinking. "Meet them at Lothal, Xelian. Use your old name. I want CT-2109 and Tano _alive_. The rest are simply collateral damage."

Xelian nodded. "As my Lord commands."

"Go. And may the Force be with you."

Xelian watched as the call terminated. Then he began to prepare for a journey to Lothal.


	19. Contacts

Lothal on the best of days was chaotic. Lothal on Life Day made you want to pull your hair out. As much as Ahsoka _liked_ being a rogue Captain, she had to admit that it had its ups and downs.

But Lady Riyo Chuchi knew what she was doing. She had a plan.

The blue skinned Pantoran woman sat beside Ahsoka. "Tough day?"

"We picked up two more clones," Ahsoka said. She took her canteen and grabbed a swing of cool, clear water. While she didn't mind a little bit of a drink every now and then, a Captain needed to be sober and ready at all times. And she was. Ahsoka did just about everything she could to keep her crew together. "One of my guys is still in medical. He got stabbed by a lightsaber. I also had a death."

Riyo winced. "Ouch... Inquisitor?"

She nodded. "Yep. You had problems with them?"

The former Senator shrugged and passed a folded piece of paper into Ahsoka's lap. Riyo Chuchi had almost been killed during Flame Night. The woman wasn't a Force-user, but she was loyal to the Jedi. That had nearly earned her the death sentence. She had managed to escape with her own cadre of loyal clone troopers. Most of her people were former street rats and slaves she had rescued. Riyo had one of her rescues, a man named Pilot, with her. Ahsoka had come alone. She had her lightsabers and the Force.

"I might have a few times." Riyo grabbed her biscuit and ate it. Keen green eyes latched on to Ahsoka's blue ones. "My guys can usually defeat them."

"Things working out?" Ahsoka casually asked. She gestured to Pilot. He looked down and suddenly seemed very interested in his boots. Ahsoka tried not to smile.

"Yeah," was Pilot's soft answer.

Riyo smiled and covered his hands with hers. He smiled at her before looking at his feet. "This man is a damn good helmsman."

Ahsoka would believe it. Most clones were known for being good at things like that. A stormtrooper? Not so much. But a clone like Pilot would hit his target nine times out of ten. He would be that good with his weapons. A stormtrooper just wasn't. Ahsoka wasn't sure if it was the training, or just the way they were. Pilot was engineered to be the best Warrior he could be.

"I see," Ahsoka said. "You need something?"

"Nope." Riyo swung her legs back under the table. "I have good contacts, Tano."

She nodded. Ahsoka had first learned of Riyo's life via Savage Oppress. It wasn't a stretch to believe that they were in contact. Lots of people were. The Rebellion was much bigger than the Empire gave it credit for. Ahsoka supposed that was a good thing, though. Better for them to believe that the Rebels were a loosely organized pack of rabble than an actual Army.

"Pilot spotted a _vod_ in port," Riyo mused. She looked a little worried, though Ahsoka thought it came from her life on the edge. Riyo put herself in quite a bit if danger with her smuggling operations. That and the fact she was not above ferrying escaped slaves to free ports. The Hutts didn't like her and had quite a large bounty on Riyo's head. Riyo simply went on about her life, with her cadre by her side. Ahsoka knew for a fact that those men were loyal to her and loved her. Pilot especially. "Pilot thinks he's up to no good."

"There are plenty of _vode_ out there who sell clones to the Empire," Pilot cautioned. "You can't trust everyone."

Ahsoka nodded grimly. "Did you catch his name?"

"The Imp called him Xelian." Pilot made a face as he considered the name. "It means "Faithful One". Not sure why he chose that..."

"I'll keep on the lookout," Ahsoka said. She stood up, slipping the coordinates in her pocket. Riyo seemed to thrive on all this skullduggery stuff. Ahsoka did _not_. She guessed that was just her way of dealing with things--head on.

"May the Force be with you." Riyo nodded again. "And good luck with the new ones."


	20. A Teachable Moment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sara shows promise as Ahsoka's first padawan

"Good...relax at little more and you'll be able to keep it that way."

Jaing would never understand why a Jedi would think it was a good idea to practice standing on your head. On ancient monoliths. While the Imperials could very easily fly a TIE overhead and look at them. Maybe even send troopers over and kill them all. Rex, damn him, did not seem to care. He was just looking over his comm whilst Ahsoka gave Sara Jedi lessons. It was a very confusing thing, Jaing thought. He'd never understood the Jedi.

"Did _you_ have to do this?" Sara complained. The Twi'lek girl was levitating a pile of rocks over her head whilst _she_ was levitating over a jagged rock. Jaing winced to think of the injuries should someone slip up.

"My Master was a little crazier than me," Ahsoka chuckled. She settled back down on to her spot. Sara followed her a little more shakily. The Togruta woman helped her down. The young Twi'lek was positively flushed with excitement. She looked like she could take over the galaxy with the power she had just discovered. The other trooper, Slick, did have power. But he was refusing training. Jaing wondered why.

"I'd hate to see that!" Sara grinned like a maniac. "Can we go and get jogan ice cream now? _Please_?"

"Jogan ice cream?" Rex dryly asked. He looked up from his game, shaking his head. "Bribery. Nice..."

" _You_ try dealing with children!" Ahsoka jibed. She tossed back her lekku, glancing back to Jaing. "Ever had ice cream?"

Jaing rolled his eyes. "No."

_What do you think?! I was a **soldier**! Not a civilian!_

"Then we'll introduce you to that today," Ahsoka primly said. She kicked her speeder bike. Sara hopped up behind her as Jaing and Rex grabbed theirs. This motley group would not pass as locals, Jaing knew. They looked too off-world. They looked like what they were--spacers. Rex had even thrown a bandolier across his chest. Ahsoka had double blasters on her hips. Jaing, being a Null, didn't need a fancy weapon. He had his daggers and that was all he needed. He was every bit as deadly as a combat droid.

"Let's go!" Sara whooped. "I'm gonna be a Jedi!"

"Yell a little louder and they might hear you on Coruscant!" Jaing yelled. He grimaced as they passed the outer limits of the Capitol City. Honestly, the place's name escaped him. He never intended to stay in one place very long. That, and the fact a rogue's home was his ship. A rogue's ship was also his first love, his child, and his castle. Mess with a rogue's ship and you had a problem.

"Okay!" Sara let out an ear-piercing scream. Rex glared at Jaing like it was all his fault. Jaing just raised his middle finger and almost plowed over a guard.

They stopped in front of Old Jho's Pit Stop. The _Crouching Tiger_ was getting her hyperdrives flushed and balanced. The crew had a few days of shore leave before they went back to their regularly scheduled plan of causing chaos throughout the galaxy. This meant that some of the clones were discovering the joys of sumburn cream. Jaing honestly hoped that they remembered to keep using it.

The Pit Stop was probably the one place in the galaxy where you could get your ship fixed and eat a decent meal. Or get a bowl of stick, sweet ice cream. Jaing tried to force his down. Rex opted for a mug of caff. Ahsoka and Sara, on the other hand, drowned theirs with ruffaberry syrup and ate two helpings each. Jaing actually liked ruffaberries and grabbed a ruffaberry carbonate from a vending machine. He just did not think that the tooth-rotting sweetness could help him out. It was enough to turn his stomach, honestly.

Jaing raised his head. His soldier's sense was buzzing in the back of his mind.

_Something wicked this way comes..._

A clone dressed in a ragged uniform came staggering in off the street.

Old Jho jumped off his perch. "Hey, you! Get lost!"

The clone blanched. "S-s-sir?"

"You heard me, meathead! Get lost!"

"Hey now!" Ahsoka gave the old Ithorian a long look. "What did he do to you?"

"Scare off the paying customers," Jho growled. "Makes me bones creak."

Jaing agreed with the old male, but he kept his mouth shut. There was something very familiar about that clone...

"He needs a good meal," Ahsoka retorted.

"Look, missy, I let you lot run roughshod through here! But I as sure as hell ain't setting meself up to get kilt by the Imps!" Old Jho glared at Ahsoka. Ahsoka glared right back. The clone looked between both aliens and started backing up.

"I think he may be right about this one," Rex grimly said. "Something just doesn't feel right about him."

"He needs a meal, Rex," Ahsoka insisted.

Jaing had been hungry. He could sympathize with the clone, whatever his gut feeling told him. So he beckoned the clone over. "You hungry?"

The clone nodded. "Yessir."

"Look, I'm your _vod_ ," Jaing replied. He tossed down three credits. "The same thing I had for lunch yesterday."

"Bleeding heart," Jho sniffed. But he took the credits all the same.


	21. Well Played

All it took was a pitiful face and a ragged change of clothes. And this lot was eating out of his hands.

Xelian kept the smirk off of his face. He was hungry, because he'd not eaten for the three days it took for him to get to Lothal. He had to act hungry to make these idiots like him. And then...and then he would capture Tano and Kraan, plus kill the other troopers.

Save Rex for himself. That _aruetii_ deserved to die screaming. He _cuyir ures ijaat_. Rex was without honor. He'd left the Empire. He had left his brother to _kyorar_ on Kamino, Naboo, and Coruscant. Rex was a bastard and he deserved to be punished. Why should he have a girlfriend and crew while Xelian had nothing? That wasn't fair! All Xelian had wanted...before...was just to be free. To do what Kraan had done. To escape. But then Darth Vader had came and shown Xelian the error of his ways. Now, he was more than wiling to bow his neck to the yoke.

The NullARC in front of him swore under his breath. "When was the last time you ate, _kih vod_?"

Xelian tried to keep his features very fearful. Like he was around Master Vader. "A _kisol tuur kyr'yc_ , _vod_."

The Null swore again. "Um. Wow. Okay...that's not good. You need to be careful so you don't barf."

_Of course, dumbass! I'm not stupid!_

Out loud, he nodded and whispered, "I'll remember, _vod_."

" _Vaabir gar ganar_ a _gai_?" the Null asked. "My name is Jaing." He paused, as if gathering his courage. Xelian watched. He wanted to know if... "I'll never use my number. Ever. Because I'm not a slave. Jaing Skirata."

Xelian tried not to groan. _Of course_ he'd name himself after that traitor Skirata! Skirata who would never care about him. Skirata, who had cared about his precious Nulls far more than he'd liked the other clones. The closet thing Xelian had to love was what he had with Lord Vader and himself. He served and Lord Vader gave him a few crumbs of affection. But at least he didn't have to wear armor and be locked away from the galaxy. No, Xelian was allowed to interact with the rest of the galaxy.

" _Ner gai cuyir_ Cody," Xelian whispered.

Jaing choked on his carbonate. "You're shitting me."

Did _all_ rogue clones mix Mando'a and Standard? Couldn't Jaing pick a language and go with it? Xelian had once used Mando'a, but Master Vader had beaten that out of him. He could use only Standard now. Because he was better than the other clones. Because he could do whatever his Master needed. He'd never needed a chip, either. Even when it had hurt to shoot at Obi-Wan. It was bad for him to love another, though.

Cody was _bad_ and Xelian was _good_.

"I'm not." Xelian looked over his shoulder like he was afraid someone was going to run in and shoot him. Not that Xelian couldn't kill those men with a snap of his fingers. It was hard to do that, but Xelian was a powerful Sith. He could hide from a Jedi.

"Let me go tell Captain Tano." Jaing stood up, concern in his hazel eyes. Xelian tried not to feel pity for Ahsoka. She was just his prey. Nothing more. Nothing less. Just like Obi-Wan had been. Old friends and lovers meant nothing to the Sith Order. He was so afraid that Lord Vader would strip away his powers. Those were all that made Xelian special. Otherwise, he was just another meat bag.

Xelian watched Ahsoka with hooded eyes. Did she know about him and Obi-Wan? Had it been like Anakin and Padme? Everyone knew and just ignored it? But why should Xelian care? Cody died on Naboo and Xelian was reborn from the ashes.

He saw Slick, the traitor, jerk his head when Jaing delivered the news. Rex, damn him, sprang up.

"Damn you!" Rex yelled across the cantina. " ** _Damn you_**! I grieved for weeks! And you couldn't kriffing _tell me you were still alive_?"

Xelian made himself hunch up like a frightened rabbit. "I-I-I-I'm sorry..."

Strong arms wrapped around him and Xelian realized Rex was crying.

"I thought you were dead," Rex whispered. He rocked Xelian, like he had done when Xelian was Cody. "I thought you..."

"Died on Naboo?" Xelian bitterly asked.

_Because Cody **did** die on Naboo. Xelian took his place._

"Yeah..." Rex managed. He looked back at Xelian, his hazel eyes bright. Xelian noticed the man's hair was longer. Much longer. "I missed you, brother. I really did."

"I missed you too," Xelian admitted. In that moment, he was Cody again. Not Xelian. But then Xelian came back and stole Cody's body again. What he had felt for Obi-Wan was wrong. What he wanted wasn't important. What Lord Vader wanted was important.

"This is very touching and all," Jaing softly said. "But we should be going."

"I don't care who we're kicking out of a bunk," Rex growled. "Cody is coming with us."

If Rex's hug had been bone crushing, Ahsoka's wasn't any better. She wrapped her arms around his neck. There was warmth over Xelian's heart. A warmth he hadn't felt in over fifteen years. Lord Vader's coldness couldn't reach him here, could it? He could be Cody again. He could find Obi-Wan and say that he was sorry. He could be happy on Ahsoka's ship.

But you couldn't run from Lord Vader. Slick was going to learn that all too soon.

Cody would have to die again. Xelian didn't think he could take the pain, though. Not anymore. And then...after this mission...he could embrace the sweet darkness of death.

 _Meg pirimmur cuyir_ a _aruetii_? _Bal aruetiise enteyor ash'amur_.

He was only dishonoring himself by walking this long. For the first time in fifteen years, Xelian didn't want to follow orders.

But what choice did he have?


	22. Suspicions

The Cody she was looking at wasn't the Cody she used to know. He seemed very hesitant and shy now, not like the forceful presence she was used too. Like he was walking on eggshells. He also wasn't mixing Mando'a in with his Standard. Ahsoka rather liked that "tradition" and encouraged it. She knew not all Masters did and it was likely whoever owned Cody simply beat it out of him.

Slick pretty much walked on her heels the entire way back. He wasn't one of the more friendly clones (unless your name was Sara), so she was a little confused. He had volunteered to go with her, however. Probably because they were going to get food afterwards. He wasn't one to turn down a meal. The poor thing had been hungry.

"You okay?" Ahsoka asked. She looked around the city. Her crew had pretty much taken over one of the smaller hotels. Thankfully, the owners would serve clones. Not everyone would, which galled Ahsoka. The clones had done their damnedest to save the galaxy and you wouldn't even let one eat at your place? Ahsoka was one of the type who saw every clone as a war hero.

Slick shook his head. "I'm fine, Captain. But...Cody doesn't like me."

"Why not?" Ahsoka asked. She glanced over at Rex, Cody, and Jaing. Even now, looking at him, she could hardly believe Cody was still alive. The Force truly moved in mysterious ways. She'd regained two friends in as many weeks. But the man walking with his two old friends was just a shadow of his former self. He seemed hunched in almost, like a frightened rabbit.

"After..."

"After you shot Rajin," Ahsoka supplied. She resisted the urge to hug Slick. Again, he had been hurt. He had an excuse to not like hugs.

"Cody jumped me and I tried to shoot him," Slick managed. He kicked the dirt with one booted foot. "I held a blaster to his head."

_That would do it._

"But you had just escaped being raped," Ahsoka argued. "You were spun up. I don't blame you, Slick." She just hoped Cody saw things the same way. Both men had been beaten down by life. Rex hadn't, but only because he'd come with her. He could easily be another Crys. Crys had wound up a pit fighter. He was wounded in soul and body. He might cover things up with a quick smile, but you could feel his pain. "Cody shouldn't, either."

"He scares me," Slick softly said. He looked back at Sara. "Cody just...feels dark. I don't want him around Sara."

Ahsoka groaned. So they were going to start crap again?

The man himself walked up behind Ahsoka. She nodded to him, trying to smile. Slick was right...something about Cody _did_ feel off. He didn't feel like Swift did, just that she was a bit uneasy around him.

"Captain?" Cody asked. He put his hand on her shoulder. " _Please_..."

Ahsoka grabbed him in a hug. He let out a soft sigh, his tears burning her shoulder. "It's gonna be okay, Cody. You're gonna be fine."

Slick made a strangled noise and trooped off.

"Can you be nice to him? Please?" Ahsoka asked. She dropped beside him as they entered the hotel. Her room was _always_ a revolving door. If Rex wasn't a having a nightmare, it was someone else. Her crew was a large one and she loved them. Trigger, Jay, blind little Drali, Crys, 99, Blaze, Smokey, Rex, Slick, Jaing, Kasey, and now Cody. She could love him, too.

"Slick tried to kill me," Cody protested.

Ahsoka groaned. Why couldn't her life be easy? She shook her head. Of course, she knew why her life couldn't. She was in love with a clone trooper, carrying his child, and leading a rebellion. Not exactly the recipe for an easy life.

"He...was spun up," Ahsoka attempted to explain. "It's not his fault."

Cody didn't protest as Ahsoka sat on the bed. She and Rex made a clone-Jedi sandwich, with Cody in the middle. It was the least she could do for the man she considered a hero.


	23. Pillow Fight!

Jaing lay sprawled out on his bed. The Null stared at the ceiling. He was too tired to really get up and think. Because he was the Null, he got saddled with the two annoying ones. He got Kasey and Trigger as room mates. This meant loads of arguments over the remote control, bickering about the HoloNet show (they settled on something about lions on a grassy plain), and other general idiocy. They were messing around with the pillows on the bed right now.

Remind him again why he thought joining this crew was a good idea? Oh yeah...his Master took advantage of him, that's why. This was better than that, he decided.

"Pillow fight!" Trigger yelled. He grabbed the pillow off of his side of the bed and slapped Kasey in the butt. Kasey yelped and grabbed the other pillow. And whaled Trigger with it. The big clone bounded over the bed and whopped Kasey in the face. Kasey went over with a _thump_. He bounded up and pushed Trigger over. Trigger grabbed his pillow and started whaling on the back of Kasey's head. The other clone whooped and rolled over. He grabbed the blanket and threw it over Trigger. Trigger jumped up and pushed Kasey into Jaing's still form.

"Watch it!" Jaing bounded up, glaring at him.

Trigger stuck out his tongue. "Have a little fun, _vod_!"

"Settle down!" Jaing glared at both of them, his hands on his hips. "Do we _want_ to get thrown out?"

Both clones looked at each other and nodded. Jaing's eyes widened. He stepped backwards, but it was too late. Both pillows nailed him in the face. The big man yelped and went over backwards. The other two grinned and popped him again with the pillows. Jaing grabbed his own pillow and slapped Trigger in the face. The other clone laughed and popped him again. Jaing laughed. A rare thing, but he was smiling. Kasey bounced off the bed and tackled Jaing to the floor.

He rolled over and pounded Kasey with the first pillow he grabbed. All three clones were laughing and hollering. Jaing's mouth hurt from smiling so much. This was _fun_. He rolled over again and tackled Trigger. The oversized clone pushed Jaing off and pinned him to the floor.

"Tickles?" Trigger innocently asked.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Jaing admitted.

Trigger lightly rubbed his fingers on a certain part of Jaing's ribs. He started laughing. Why, the Null wasn't sure. But it was funny! And he was howling as Trigger attacked him mercilessly. He was doubling over, trying to contain the laughter that bubbled out of him.

"Oh...Maker.. _.stop_!" Jaing begged. "Please!"

Someone started pounding on the door. All too late, Jaing realized that the hotel room was right over Ahsoka's. And she had that wreck of a clone, Cody, with her. He _really_ needed some help.

"Jaing! Trigger! Kasey!" Ahsoka yelled on the other side of the door. "What the hell are you lot doing?"

"Jaing let his hair down!" Trigger crowed.

Jaing was currently trying to get his breath back. There were tears in his eyes from laughing so hard. And yes, his hair was a mess.

"Then settle down!" Ahsoka retorted. "Please?"

"Captain?" Kasey yelled. "We have something we need to show you."

_Oh. **No**._

Jauing opened his mouth to let out a warning, but Ahsoka opened the door.

"Pillow fight!" Trigger yelled. He threw a pillow across the room and hit Ahsoka full in the face.

Ahsoka stood stock still. Jaing watched her, sprawled out as he was against the floor. The Togruta woman slowly pulled the pillow off of her face, looking at all three clones. "Jaing?"

"Hello, Captain." Jaing looked up. "The situation is under control."

"Like hell it is," Ahsoka dryly said. She laughed. "If we were on the _Tiger_ , I'd play pillow fight. But since we are _sleeping in a hotel_..."

"Settle _down_ ," Jaing rasped. He grabbed his pillow and staggered on to the bed. "And it's my remote."

"Oh boy," Ahsoka sighed. She did look funny in her sleeping clothes (a sports bra and athletic shorts). But since Jaing was only wearing his trousers (and Trigger was in his boxers), he figured they had it good. Plus, he looked pretty wrecked. He decided not to blow Ahsoka a kiss. He was already in enough hot water as it was. "Have fun, Jaing."

Jaing crashed back on his bed. He could really get used to having a family, couldn't he? Even if he was put in with the two crazy ones. "I will try, Captain."

Ahsoka shook her head and left the boys to their own devices.


	24. Eggs, Salsa, and Table Manners

It was a long night. Xelian spent most of it curled between Rex and Ahsoka, savoring the warmth. He'd been in a cage on Naboo. The facility was always cold and he'd only had a thin jumpsuit for warmth. He'd curled up as best be could to conserve warmth. So this...being between _two_ warm bodies, was a great luxury for him. The one bad thing was that the guys upstairs kept banging around. Ahsoka went up about every five hours to make them stop. It didn't remind him of Naboo because all she did was grab an ear to make Jaing stop whaling on Trigger with a pillow.

She did not have a shock collar and a riding crop. Xelian didn't think there was any comparison.

Rex yawned around five am. "Do we want to stop trying?"

Ahsoka groaned. They had started up again. "I thought Jaing was the _sensible_ one!"

The blonde clone put a pillow over his head. "You were never on Kamino. The Nulls liked to play when the damned cloners weren't around. When the cat's away, the mice will play. In this case, the mouse is a Null ARC with issues."

Xelian had a guilty pleasure. Master Vader didn't allow him to indulge very often, but he was tired of protein bars and water. "Is there any chance I can get some scrambled eggs for breakfast? And salsa?"

"This place has free breakfast," Ahsoka murmured from being curled against Rex's side. Xelian noted that she was a blanket hog. That was okay, because Rex was warm. "You can go through the line with the others. I'm sure they serve eggs and salsa."

Like Xelian said, it was a guilty pleasure. Something that drew him closer to the Light. That wasn't something Xelian could afford, but he could punish himself later. And he could enjoy the hell out of his eggs.

Xelian checked the chrono. "In several hours."

"At 0700 Hours," Rex yawned. "Maybe the Null has fallen asleep."

There was a dull _thud_ up above.

"I think not." Xelian dragged his blanket over his head and rolled over. He could wait a few hours until he got his eggs and salsa. Because, oh Saint Murphy, that was what made life worth living. He enjoyed eating it and it tasted good. Like warm, buttery heaven.

Xelian managed to sleep for a few more hours before Rex shook him awake.

"Get a shower," Rex murmured. "They're likely serving breakfast right now."

_Plus, the morons have finally gotten quiet._

Xelian nodded and picked himself up. He rubbed the small of his back and grabbed a fresh shirt from the pile.It was nice to be able to wear clothes with color. He pulled on the clothing, brushed out his short hair, and ambled downstairs. As expected, the breakfast bar was serving real ( _real!_ Not the fake shit you got from the cafeteria!) eggs with a big bowl of salsa beside it. Xelian smiled in pleasure as he fixed himself a plateful. Along with a few slices of fruit. Apple juice to drink. Good food, not protein bars.

It was enough to make you join the Light again. Almost.

He sat down on the veranda beside the pool and started eating.

Jaing reached over him to grab the jam.

Xelian cleared his throat. "Didn't Skirata teach you lot "please" and "thank you"?"

"He was too busy keepin' us from getting shot," Jaing shrugged. He reached over to grab the butter. Jaing, Kasey, and Trigger and loaded down trays of biscuits, cookies, and pastries.

Xelian caught the Null's wrist. "Next time, say please."

Jaing sighed theatrically. "Can I please have the butter?"

"Yes, you can" Xelian passed Jaing the butter and the knife. "You say "you're welcome". It's not that hard."

"You're welcome," Jaing mumbled around a mouthful of toast. Xelian sighed. It was a start.

His eggs were warm, buttery heaven. Light, fluffy, _real_ , with just the right amount of spice from the salsa... It was enough to make Xelian drool. Yes, he was being bad, but he had to keep up his cover, didn't he? He watched with bored amusement as Trigger and Jaing threw cookies at each other. Xelian just sipped his apple juice and tripped Trigger. He fell in the pool with quite the splash.

The big clone (he had to be illegal. He was much too big to be anything _but_ ) yelped and staggered out. He shook his wet hair like a dog. Xelian wiped up the last few crumbs of his eggs and salsa before attacking the fruit. It, too, tasted better than the preserved type. The big Null, Jaing, was deep in a staring contest with Kasey when Slick came out. He blinked the sleep from his eyes and started on a bowl of oatmeal.

"So you finally got out," Slick managed. He grabbed a mug of caff and took a long slug. "How'dja do it?"

"The guards slipped up," Xelian shrugged. He ate a little more before getting up. Slick, too, finished.

"Can you get me some more caff?" he asked. "I didn't sleep a wink. Blaze snores."

Xelian sighed and grabbed the mug. He filled it up with caff and added a slight truth drug to the caff. With luck, Slick wouldn't taste it. And then he could get a little inside information...


	25. You Remembered

Slick was really too tired to do much of anything. The damn Null ARC had finally gotten over his stiff-back syndrome and played with two others all kriffing night. Then Cody tripped Kasey and made him land in the pool. Yeah, Slick was betting that this would be the shore-leave from hell. He really didn't want to do much of anything, just eat breakfast and watch the HoloNet.

Cody came back from the breakfast area with a steaming mug of caff and another plate of eggs. He'd also gotten Slick oatmeal.

Oatmeal with two sugars and assorted berries.

Slick looked at Cody like he'd just grown two heads. "You remembered!"

"Of course I did." Cody tucked into his own food quickly. Slick, who knew what it was like to be hungry,didn't say anything. He was going to let the man eat his eggs in peace. "I only heard you gripe about it for _hours_!"

The skinny normal chuckled. "I suppose I did. The food on Kamino was shit." He took a sip of the caff, wrinkling his nose at the slightly bitter taste. "I like this better."

"So do I. Ration bars are hell on your teeth," Cody shrugged. "So...do you know where the next stop is?"

Slick shrugged as he ate a little oatmeal. "No, why?"

"Just wondering. And is the Twi'lek girl a Force-user?"

"Yeah..." Slick looked at Cody like he was stupid. "Did you miss the training session yesterday?"

"Yesterday, I was running for my life," Cody growled. "I was going to end up on the pleasure market, asshead!"

"I'm so sorry, _vod_." Slick reached over and touched Cody's hand. "I know how you feel. It's...happened to me, too."

"Oh." Something crossed Cody's face. Then he took a moment to process things through. His hazel eyes widened and Slick nodded sadly. It still hurt, but at least nothing had torn. And now Slick was fond of long, hot showers. "It's fine. I made it through. I'll...I'll live."

Slick nodded. Not the healthiest of coping mechanisms, but it worked. He drank a little more of the caff, wondering why he was lightheaded. Damn Jaing! The others needed some sleep, too, you know! Still, Slick didn't blame them. They had a lot of pain and if that helped... Trigger had been a mining slave. His scars weren't from blaster bolts, they were from whips. And Kasey... Hell only knew what they had done with Kasey. Rex said the man was broken when they bought him. If playing pillow fight all night made Kasey happy, Kasey could play pillow fight.

"It's what we have to do," Slick softly said. "We have to keep on going, even when it hurts."

"I know." Cody drank a little of his apple juice. "The Captains are Rex and Ahsoka, right?"

Slick nodded. " _Elek_."

"That's...odd, but it works. They do good together."

"We fought off an Inquisitor," Slick muttered. "That wasn't very hard to do, might I add. Ahsoka runs a good ship. We love her...and we didn't love the Jedi."

"Correction: _you_ didn't love the Jedi," Cody argued.

Slick rolled his eyes. "I seem to recall you calling Master Kenobi "sweetheart" in Mando'a. I'm not stupid, nor am I deaf."

Cody went bright red. "That...that was only once! And I was drunk!"

"I still remember it. You were a shiny, too." Slick smiled over the rim of his mug. He picked at the fruit plate a Togruta waitress sat in front of them.

"How does Ahsoka get this money?" Cody suddenly asked.

Slick wracked his brains. "Hmm... She and Rex usually have a song and dance, but she uses the Force to get top dollar for our hauls. It's a Jedi thing, I think."

"I see..." Cody muttered. He finished his meal. "If you're done..."

"Oh, yeah I am." Slick pushed his dishes towards the standing ARC. "Thanks for the food, though. I know what it's like to be hungry."

"We all do," Cody sighed.

Was it Slick imagination, or did a little bit of sorrow wash over the ARC's face?


	26. Gotta Be Careful

"We need to try and find Obi-Wan." Ahsoka sighed and brushed a little sweat out of her eyes as she walked. The Togruta woman had a few suspicions about the new clone, though she wasn't about to voice them. Cody was...off. He wasn't the man she was used too. Yes, he was still the same man she was used too, but he was quieter. Not as talkative. He looked at his feet instead of at you. And Ahsoka didn't like that.

_Has the old Cody died?_

Rex sighed as he looked over the comm-sheet. "Kenobi is on Tattooine. We have no shipments going out that way--beyond slaver bounties."

"Which we aren't taking," Ahsoka growled. She drummed her fingers on the counter top, an untouched piece of flatbread at her side. Old Jho knew what he was doing. A little bit of flatbread, drizzled with icing and jogans, with cinnamon on top, was pretty good. No wonder why Kasey would do _anything_ for a trip to Lothal. She sighed, thinking a few things over. Ahsoka didn't like this. She needed to get Cody his old Commander and hope the Force Bond snapped him out of whatever funk he was in. It just wasn't fair. Cody had been created to be a drois, yet he had the feelings of a man. The Kaminoans didn't care about that, either.

"Thank the gods, because the crew would mutiny," Rex muttered.

She leaned against him, casually flicking through the offers. This part of the HoloNet had been set up by the bounty hunters. One in particular. Boba Fett and Ahsoka Tano had an agreement--he wouldn't come after her crew and she wouldn't feed him to the rancor. Rex made a little bit of a purring sound before scooting over. His hand caught her wrist. Ahsoka looked at him and smiled. Rex's hazel eyes were soft, not their usual flint-like hardness.

"Looks like Fett will make a killing," Ahsoka predicted. She pointed to an offer for an arsonist. The bastard had set fire to an Imperial facility. The problem was, a bunch of kids had been inside on a tour. There had been no survivors from the blaze. Fett, who was known for a dubious sense of morality, would likely get this dog before anyone else did and rough him up. Even galaxy famous bounty hunters had hearts.

"I'm surprised the Imps didn't kill him," Rex muttered. He didn't stand, just watched her. "We could always comm Kenobi."

"I did. He wants nothing to do with Cody," Ahsoka sighed. She did understand things from Obi-Wan's point of view. Cody had gone mad in the middle of a mission and tried to kill him. Gree tried to stop it and got killed in the process. Cody had pretty much lost all of his marksmanship training. His shots had gone wild and he'd killed a herdbeast. Not Obi-Wan, but the Jedi had tried to kill Cody.

It wasn't Cody's fault. His chip had kicked in and pretty much stolen all of the man's free will. And Cody didn't know how lucky he was. Ahsoka had rescued Kasey from some Sith who had been abusing him. He was still people-shy. Not as bad as some of the others, but still pretty wary. He liked to be left alone. That was why Ahsoka was so thrilled that he was playing with Jaing. If they could get past all of his barriers...

"Showing up on Kenobi's doorstep with a damaged clone won't win us any favors," Rex warned.

Ahsoka sighed. "He's hurting, Rex." She tried to explain it in words Rex could understand. Brothers almost never gave up on each other. If she could get Rex to understand... "I don't want to lose him."

_He might already be lost and I'm just not seeing it. Slick says he was on the pleasure market, but...Slick is a known traitor. He's not exactly truthful. Could Obi-Wan **really** help him?_

"I understand," Rex softly said. This time, he did stand. Ahsoka followed him as they headed back to the hotel. Another day in port. Then, back in space. And they were taking a side trip to Tattooine. She cared about Cody too much to lose him.

Yet there was still a prickle of unease as she watched the scarred clone trooper.


	27. Smarter than I Look

Jaing's soldier sense bubbled in the back of his mind every time he looked at Cody. He just didn't trust the man! There was something about him that set off all sorts of little red flags in the Null's brain. Maybe it was the way he acted. Maybe it was just Jaing being an idiot. Whatever it was, it was enough to make Jaing nervous around the man. Even if all Cody had wanted was a decent meal and people who weren't going to torture him.

But still... It just didn't make sense.

Slick shared Jaing's sentiment, probably due to Cody beating the shit out of him before. But he was pretty friendly once you got him to open up to you! Maybe Cody had been a _galla_ to him before. Or maybe Slick was worried he was being replaced? It made no sense.

What did make sense was Cody's nervousness before going to Tatooine. Apparently, Cody had been one of the ones to go mad on Flame Night. So he'd tried to kill his Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Slick had spent Flame Night curled up in a heap, trying not to die. All he'd wanted to do was get _out_ of clone jail. It had worked, even if Slick showed him his scars. Those wounds should have been taken care of by a medic. Slick had cauterized them with burning coals. All troopers had high pain tolerances, yes, but maybe Slick was a little crazy.

The hot sands of Tatooine made Jaing grateful for his clothing. Yes, he liked his tunics very much, thank you! They were covering the last few miles on foot, mostly because Ahsoka didn't want to let the Imperials know where Obi-Wan was living. Jaing was a littler nervous. Master Kenobi had been one of the ones to argue that the Nulls needed to be put down. So, yes, he was a little afraid of the man. Jaing, though, wasn't a slave anymore. He was a free man and he could act like it. So he'd walk into Kenobi's house with his head held high.

The man himself was sitting on a ledge, polishing a blaster when they appeared over the knoll.

"What is going on here?!" Obi-Wan jumped up, his Jedi robes, flapping in the breeze. The disassembled blaster fell from his lap and into the sand. Jaing winced to see such a weapon fall. The other clones stepped back and grabbed their weapons. Ahsoka stopped them with a look.

She walked up to the Jedi and touched his shoulder. "Hello, Master Kenobi."

"I said not to come here!" Obi-Wan hissed.

"He needs help." Ahsoka sat beside him and beckoned Cody. The clone walked over like his tail was between his legs. Ahsoka shook her head, her blue eyes distressed. "I fear we'll lose him if you don't help us."

Obi-Wan snorted. "Bar've tried to kill me."

"I had no choice." Cody looked at his feet, kicking the sand. Ahsoka motioned for the others to walk off. Jaing stayed within earshot, listening for the conversation. Not that he didn't trust Cody, but he didn't trust Cody.

"Bantha poodoo. You had free will!"

_No, they didn't. Damned control chips._

"I'm sorry, Master," Cody softly said.

"Ten years too late." Obi-Wan must have stood up. "But I sense a Darkness within you."

"Master, it comes from being tortured for ten years," Cody softly said. He wasn't arguing, but he was stating a point. And Jaing sympathized with the man. "Of course I wish to do those men harm."

_**Men**. Like what happened to me and Slick?_

Obi-Wan sighed. "You were hurt?"

"Yes, Master." Cody's voice was quiet and demure, like he was expecting to be struck for one wrong word. And maybe he was. You couldn't tell with Cody anymore.

"Come here." Obi-Wan probably hugged him, because Cody yelped. " _Bic cuyir an staabi_. _Ni_ forgive _gar_."

Cody made a whimpering sound. "But I'm not allowed to use Mando'a!"

"You are when I'm around," Obi-Wan gently said. "Let's get you inside."

Maybe...maybe Obi-Wan would be able to help Cody get his feet back under him.


	28. Rest You Head on My Broken Wings

Xelian couldn't breathe as he looked at his old General. What had he _done_ , agreeing to go on this mission? But what choice did he have? He was Lord Vader's slave. His very life depended on the Sith Lord's mood and the mission Vader had planned. But this was what rebellion got him, didn't it? First he ate with the crew of the _Crouching Tiger_ , acting like he was a free man when he wasn't. He'd rebelled against his Master by getting food that reminded him of his General. And now...the man was looking at him.

"Ahsoka?" Obi-Wan asked. "Is...he okay?"

"I'm not sure." Ahsoka's face furled in concentration. She looked back at him. Her blue eyes were warm and full of concern. "Cody?"

The clone rapidly shook his head. He couldn't breathe! He was struggling for breath, panting, trying not to cry out. His knees became weak and he started to stagger.

"Grab him!" Obi-Wan grabbed Xelian by the shoulders, looking at him. "Cody. Where are you?"

"I'm s-s-sorry, Master!" Xelian wailed. "I f-f-failed you!"

"Cody. Look at me. You were under mind control. It was not your fault." Red hair brushed his shoulders and Xelian flinched. He remembered the good times they had had together, all the touches and the looks. Cody, the man who died on Flame Knight, had been giddy _because Obi-Wan liked him back_! But that night was so long ago. There was nothing of it left, just smoldering embers where Xelian _Cody_ tried to shoot Obi-Wan but couldn't. Killed the beast instead. Killed the beast because he was _weak weak **weak**_! And Lord Vader was _strong_! "Cody. _CT-2224_. **Listen to me** : Whatever is wrong with you, we can fix!"

Cody _Xelian_ tried to stagger backwards. He was burning! He opened his mouth in a wordless wail. He was being torn in two! Cody was struggling to the surfacem trying to touch his General. Reassure himself that the man was still alive and Master _Master_ Oh Master made him _burn_ and _scream_ and say ** _no stop please_** but no one ever cared because he was _just a stupid slave_ and he should just shut up and take it and be grateful the Empire was wasting money on his _worthless cloned ass_ \--

"Cody!" Ahsoka grabbed him and slapped him across the face. Xelian **_Cody_ ** realized he was screaming and it sounded horrible and it was him and oh he really was just a worthless slave ** _he was breaking_ ** and they weren't _even using torture_!

"Please! Please! _M-m-master_! I'll d-d-do _anything_! Just s-s-stop!" Cody wailed and bucked in Ahsoka's grip. He could feel the whip raining down on his back the fire in his veins instead of blood the guards _pushing him down and using him_ \--

"Cody, it's me. _K'udesiir_ , _ner kar'ta_. _Udesii, kar'taylir darasuum_." Obi-Wan touched his back, right where the burning was the worst. Cody grabbed the man's shirt and clutched it brokenly. He sobbed. Sobbed for the first time in a long time. Because _it hurt it hurt it **hurt**_! He twisted his head and wailed a new. Obi-Wan supported his body and let Cody sob against his chest. "It's okay, Cody. It's okay. I've got you."

"I'm s-s-sorry," Cody stammered.

Ahsoka tapped Obi-Wan on the shoulder. "What was _that_ about?! He got all rigid and started screaming!"

"He had a break down, Ahsoka." Obi-Wan rocked him back and forth, talking to the wounded man gently. "I think it was a long time in the making." He softly sighed and resumed rubbing circles in Cody's back. "It's okay, Cody. There is nothing for you to be sorry about."

" _Ge kyr'amur gar_ ," Cody mumbled.

"They took your freedom, Cody," Obi-Wan reassured him. "What little bit of it you had in the first place."

Cody took a shuddering breath. "But I have to be a good slave for Master."

"Uh oh." Ahsoka gave Obi-Wan a pointed look. "I'm glad I didn't play ring and run like I wanted too..."

The auburn haired Jedi took a deep breath. "Cody. You are on Tatooine with General Obi-Wan Kenobi, Captains Rex and Ahsoka Tano, Sara Boil, and several other clones. I don't see...Master."

Master scared Cody. Master hurt Cody with lightning to make sure he obeyed. Master kept the guards from hurting Cody again even though Cody deserved it because he was _just a pfassking **whore**_ and he _spread his legs for the Jedi why not spread his legs for the Empire_ it makes no difference he's **just a slave anyways** so he _can't say no_ and he wants to _say no_ but he knows _saying no_ is **wrong wrong _wrong_** if you're a slave and he's a slave so he **just sits there and takes it and** **cries later** like the _disgusting pile of bantha shit_ he is but **he wants to be good** because _good slaves get food_ and maybe Master will let him out and make him stop **_burning_** inside.

"Obi-Wan! He's freaking out again!"

Old Master grabbing him feels _good good **good**_. There's someone talking to him telling him _it's all right no one's going to hurt you_ but Cody doesn't believe him. Which is **bad bad bad** because he's _just a kriffing slave who is he to question his Master_?! He should be _thanking his Master on the bent knee for saving him and feeding his worthless hide and keeping the guards off of him_ and he's **rigid** and he's **shaking ** and he's **crying** and his covering Old Master in fluids Old Master **raises a hand** Cody flinches back **the blow never comes** _just wipes his face off_ \---

"Maker...Cody, it's okay. I've got you."

" _Pal'vut_ ," Cody gasps before passing out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS....was emotional hell to write...


	29. Hello, Darkness

Cody whimpered into Obi-Wan's shoulder in the house.

The Jedi Knight was at a loss as to what to do. A sobbing clone wasn't something he'd dealt with much in the past. And Cody was always so strong... He'd been Obi-Wan's rock during the War. Now, that brave man was sobbing and crying out. He'd just gone rigid and started screaming incoherently. Obi-Wan hadn't known what to do beyond grab Cody and talk to him. It seemed like certain _words_ were setting the man off.

_Is it PTSD? **That** isn't good if it is!_

"It's okay, Cody. I'm right here with you." Obi-Wan helped Cody sit beside him, trying to drag up what Doctor Nema told him. "You can get through this, Cody. I know you're scared, but you're not in any danger, okay? I'm right here with you."

Ahsoka looked at him. ' _Can I try? Savage has a problem like this sometimes._ '

' _Sure_ '. Obi-Wan helped Cody sit up. The man was clasping his knees, his eyes locked into some point in the distance. Obi-Wab swallowed. He tried to quell his own rising fear. Whatever was wrong with Cody could be fixed. It _had_ to be! Otherwise...Obi-Wan didn't know what he'd do. Yes, Cody had tried to kill him. But Cody had also been under the control of a microchip. ' _If you think you can help him_ , _by all means_! _Go ahead_!'

The Togruta woman nodded and put her hands on Cody's shoulders. He looked at her, tears streaking his tawny face. "Cody, I want you to raise your hands over your head with me, okay?" The clone nodded wearily. Ahsoka caught his look. ' _We need to get him tired so he's thinking straight_.'

' _What do you think happened_?' Obi-Wan raised his hands over his head along with the Togruta and the clone.

Her grim eyes met his. ' _I think he was tortured_. _Raped_ , _maybe_. _I've_... _never seen someone just **freak out**_. _And if he was fleeing the pleasure market_...' She let the thought trail off. Obi-Wan felt sick. Were they hurting Cody? Hurting him after they were trying to help? The man had calmed down a little, but the terror in his dark eyes were still wild. Obi-Wan bit his bottom lip. ' _It's like he was taken apart and put back together wrong_.'

' _A reconditioning gone bad_?' Obi-Wan asked.

' _I don't know_ ,' Ahsoka admitted. She looked back to Cody. He was following her orders, but his face showed his exhaustion. "That's enough, Cody." Her voice was soothing and gentle. She moved so that Cody had to lean on Obi-Wan. "Now. Can you tell us what's wrong?"

Cody froze and Obi-Wan braced himself for another panic attack.

Instead, he looked up. "Kill me."

"What?!" Obi-Wan shook his head, certain he'd misheard the rasped words. "I'm not killing you, Cody! I'm not _kyr'amur ner kar'ta_!"

"I don't deserve to be alive," Cody gasped. He grabbed Obi-Wan's shirt, fear in his eyes. "He...He made me like this! It burns, Master! And I screamed an they just laughed and it hurt and it was so cold..."

"What was?" Ahsoka pressed. "Cody, we want to help, but we don't know what you're saying!"

"He made me a Sith," Cody managed. He bared his neck for Obi-Wan to slice off. And in that second, the walls came crashing down. Cody was a screaming, wailing ball of pain. Much like Darth Maul had been. He was screaming for help, for Light, for love. And Obi-Wan wasn't going to let another tortured soul slide back to Darkness. Obi-Wan could have tamed Maul if Qui-Gon hadn't provoked the Sith into attacking. And he'd left the man to be tortured by his Master...

"I can help you," Obi-Wan insisted. He forced himself to ignore the Dark Side. Instead, he embraced the clone. "I want to help you, Cody. But...let me, okay? Please?"

Cody sobbed into Obi-Wan's arms and the Jedi took that as a yes.


	30. What Do We Do Now?

Ahsoka didn't know what to do. Cody, _her_ Cody, was a Sith. And he'd been _made_ a Sith. Tortured until he broke and then put back together in a twisted version of his former self. Togrutas were Clannish people by nature. It was just a species thing. But to look at her Cody, tears down his face and sobbing brokenly in Obi-Wan's lap...it was wrong. A perversion of nature. And if he'd been abused before that...no wonder things were grating in his head!

' _What do we do_?' Ahsoka tried to telegraph calmness towards the cowering Sith.

Obi-Wan, who had a lap full of cowering clone, shrugged. ' _I don't know. He's not as coherent as Maul was. I think that Zabrak was this broken, but he hid it better_.'

The Togruta woman nodded. "Do you want some tea, Cody?"

"Booze would be nice." The clones voice was muffled by Obi-Wan's robe. "It drowns out the screaming in my head."

She sighed and tried to find her peace, as Yoda had taught her. Getting mad at Cody would solve nothing. This was not his fault. He had been tortured, probably by Lord Vader, and then not cared for. It showed. "The alcohol will only make it worse, Cody. Talking about it helps."

He raised his head, face tear streaked. "I-I-I can't!"

"You can." Ahsoka nodded to Obi-Wan. The older Jedi just shook his head and pointed to the kitchen. As she'd expected, Obi-Wan had a kettle of tea on the warmer pad. She remembered it as a gift she'd gotten him one Life Day long ago. The Togruta woman filled a chipped mug with the amber liquid before adding a mint leaf foe good measure. Obi-Wan did like his gardens. She returned to the sitting area, balancing the mug with the Force.

Cody reached out his hands like a child to take it. Ahsoka frowned and brushed his mind with the Force. _Chunks_ of his mind weren't working. They were repressed into almost nothingness.

"What happened?" Ahsoka sat beside him, trying to gather her wits.

"I don't wanna talk about it," Cody mumbled. He sipped the tea, still clinging to Obi-Wan's shirt. Both Jedi tried to ignore the hands. Cody seemed to be desperate for touch. She could understand clinging to the ones who ended your torture. "It h-h-hurt so much..."

"I know, Cody." Ahsoka closed her eyes. "But if you talk to me, and I'm able to help you, I might be able to help Slick, too."

"Slick is a damned traitor," Cody mumbled.

"We think he went through the same thing you did," Obi-Wan finally said. "You aren't alone, Cody."

"But he made me a Sith!" Cody wailed. "P-p-please, don't make me!"

"Cody..." Ahsoka let her words trail off. "You need to talk to us. We aren't going to force you, but these things will only get worse."

He closed his eyes, resting his head on Obi-Wan's chest. Ahsoka decided that he deserved the comfort he was getting. After all, the man had been tortured. He didn't deserve the agony he was in. "Please...don't be mad at me, Generals. Cause it hurt so much..."

"I understand that it hurt you," Obi-Wan gently said. "We don't want to hurt you, okay?"

Cody nodded and settled into a more comfortable spot. "They left us in a cage after...you know. Tiny. We couldn't move. Had us all alone and we couldn't get out. They'd hose us down twice a day to keep the smell down. Then they take you out....knock you out...put needles in your arms...hurts so much. Like you're on fire..."

Ahsoka grabbed the shuddering man in a hug. "It's okay, Cody. It's okay." She rocked the man back and forth, soothing back his dark hair. "It's okay. We've got you. No one is ever gonna hurt you again."

And Ahsoka would kill to make that be true.


	31. Tea?

Jaing wasn't totally sure what to do. Yes, he wanted to help Cody. And he'd seen some of the man's breakdown. It was a painful thing when a brave _vod_ was reduced to a pitiful, shaking mess. All Cody wanted to do was die, it seemed. Jaing wasn't sure if his brother knew what he wanted anymore. Cody did want the pain to stop, however, and that was important. As much as it pained Jaing to say it, perhaps it was for the best if they left Cody with Obi-Wan. _Obi-Wan_ could deal with the damaged Sith and leave the others to their own devices.

So he went to Obi-Wan's battered stove and heated up a kettle of water. He remembered enough to know that the old man liked his tea. Well, they could give Cody a little, too. From what Jaing could see of the man, he was ashen and huddled into Obi-Wan's shoulders.

The clone grabbed the tea bags. "Do you have anything for nerves?"

"The chamomile tea is in the cupboard above the stove," Obi-Wan instructed. "And didn't Kal teach you lost to _ask_ before you got into someone's stuff?"

"Nope," Jaing smiled. "Two sugars or one?"

"You know perfectly well I don't like sugar in my tea," Obi-Wan muttered.

"I wasn't asking you; I was asking Cody," Jaing retorted. "So, _vod_ , two sugars or one? I can't remember what you like."

_Though giving him "Sleepy Time Tea" might not be such a good idea._

Cody weakly raised his head. Jaing winced from just looking at him. The man was tear-streaked, for one, and his eyes were red from crying. Little puffs of dark hair stood up from his scalp. It was a well known fact that Cody pined after Obi-Wan. Jaing couldn't _imagine_ how the man felt after being forced to kill the object of his affection. It must have hurt like _hell_.

"I don't care," Cody softly said. Before all the torture he'd gone through, Jaing knew Cody liked his tea with two sugars and cream. When they could get that. But war being the _Taran_ it was meant that they were often down to ration cubes and dirty water. Cody had always had more refined tastes. Maybe it came from being around Obi-Wan?

Jaing pulled out the cream. "Okay, two sugars and a cream? Does that sound okay with you?" Maybe a little normalcy into the day would make Cody feel better. Jaing didn't want to trigger the man, but he wanted to help out.

"It's fine." Cody turned his face back to Obi-Wan's shirt. The Jedi shifted and rolled his eyes. Jaing also noticed that he kept stroking Cody's back. Hmm... It looked like there _was_ something there after all. The Null smiled softly. Ahsoka was messing around with her comm, probably trying to figure out what they needed to do next. Jaing would leave her too it.

The Null handed Cody the cup of tea. "Here. I hope this makes you feel better."

"Where's mine?" Obi-Wan whined.

Jaing cut his eyes at the Jedi. "You're a pfassking Jedi _Knight_! I'm trying to help my brother out! Make your own tea!"

Ahsoka rapidly turned her laughter into a cough.

Cody whimpered, though, and burrowed into Obi-Wan's side. The man was one raw, exposed nerve, it seemed. Though with what Cody had endured, Jaing didn't blame him. Still, the clone cradled the tea to his chest and took his sweet time drinking it. Jaing felt himself smile. Cody needed this. He needed to be reminded that he had _vode_. He also had a family.


	32. Here's What I Want To Do

The tea actually made him feel much better, thank you. He did appreciate that Jaing was the one to get it. Cody felt like he could trust the _vod_ , even if he sided with the _Jetiise_ Ahsoka Tano. Didn't she know he was a Jedi-killer? That he deserved to be put down like the coward he was? He'd been tortured, yes, and though Obi-Wan told him that it wasn't his fault (and called Cody _ner kar'ta_ , something that would have once made Cody shiver in pleasure), he stilled blamed himself. Because he was a weakling and weaklings deserved to die. That was what Master said and Master was never wrong.

Sure fingers stroked the scar on his face. "Now how did you get this one, Cody?"

He wrinkled up his face in confusion. Strangely, Obi-Wan didn't mind that he had a lap full of clone. Especially crying clone that couldn't keep a handle on his emotions because he was _weak_. Cody tensed up, feeling another panic attack coming on. Instantly, Obi-Wan tightened his grip around the clone.

"Master gave it too me," Cody whispered. Thoughts of Master, with his scary black suit and raspy breathing, always scared Cody. Never mind the fact that e had let the guards do what they wanted to him on more than one occasion. Master said it was good for a Sith to build his anger. Cody, who had been to scared to say anything, simply nodded and obeyed. "He said that I should be thankful he didn't break my neck." Cody paused, trying not to sound ungrateful. Because, who knew, these men could be working for Master and would report to Master if Cody broke rules. "And I am."

Obi-Wan sighed. "That," he muttered, "is pfassked up."

Cody cringed. As had become force of habit, he tapped into the emotional states of everyone around him. Jaing, _briikase_ , was concerned. Ahsoka and Obi-Wan were upset. The dark haired clone trembled and buried his face deeper into Obi-Wan's shirt.

"I am grateful that Master spared me." Cody said those words as loud and clear as he could, in case that one of Master's spies were here. As Cody had learned the hard way, you never could tell. The scars on his back were proof of that. "I am a worthless clone. I am valuable in the service of the Empire, to which I belong."

"That's not true," Obi-Wan gently said. He tipped Cody's face up and concern burned in his blue eyes. Cody reached up and stroked the soft, red blonde hair. He let out a choked sob when he realized that Obi-Wan was _real_ and not a vision brought on by the Force. "I don't know why you're saying that--"

"Master is always watching," Cody blurted out. Then he cringed back, realizing he'd cut the Jedi off. But the slap across the face never came.

"What are we gonna do for dinner?!" Jaing yelled across the house. Cody jumped, the sudden yell making him lurch backwards.

Obi-Wan cuddled Cody closer and that felt really good. "There should be enough spaghetti to feed a small army in the freezer unit."

"Good," Ahsoka chuckled. "These guys eat like one."

Someone snickered and no one yelled at anyone to shut up. There was soon the smell of sauce cooking and the pleasant hum of conversation. Cody sighed. He felt content, he was warm, and he could hear Obi-Wan's heartbeat. He would have been happy to just curl up there for his entire life and never, ever move again.

Obi-Wan looked down at him. "Cody, I need to eat dinner. Let me up, please?"

Cody very brazenly grunted at the Jedi before cuddling deeper.

"Cody. _Please_. Someone is going to break something!"

As if on cue, there was a _crash_ and a host of swearing.

Obi-Wan groaned. "There goes my complete set of Aldaraanian china plates."

"Oh, shut up!" Ahsoka yelled over the din. "Just let him sit there, okay? It's not like we're gonna destroy your house!"

"Maybe it is not a good idea to have china around them," Cody suggested.

"Ya think?" Obi-Wan tried to pry the clone off. Cody made a mewling noise and grabbed two fistfuls of shirts. And then did not let go until Trigger yelled "Dinner!". After that, Cody scrambled up. He gave Obi-Wan an apologetic look before hurrying to his place in the line. You had to be careful, otherwise the rations ran out and Master had no patience for stragglers. Or for those who shared their food with others. Both went hungry if Master caught you.

"Woah, buddy!" Rex shook his head. "Cody! Xelian! Or whatever the hell you're calling yourself these days! There's more than enough for everyone!"

"Old habits die hard, Captain," Cody softly said. "I...don't think I can overcome this." He paused, and even though the smell from the food was making him hungry, he whimpered. "I'm sorry." Those words were a mere whisper and he trembled, awaiting the punishment.

"It's not your fault." Rex gestured for him to move along. "We'll try to help you, Cody. _Aliit cuyir or'atu_ than _tal_."

 _Aliit cuyir or'atu_ than _tal_. Family is thicker than blood. Cody just wished that was true.


	33. Vi Cuyir Vode

Jaing wasn't quite sure what to do. Yes, his brother needed help. That should be their first priority. But they also had to deal with Slick and Sara. Those two deserved a chance. Right? Right? And whilst there were those who saw the clones as a soft target to enslave, this little crew was a family, too. They had each other. And that had to be enough. Because, otherwise, this wasn't going to work.

The Null helped Rex clean up the dishes. "So who got into the sauce?"

"Kasey, Trigger, and Blaze," Rex muttered. He glared ruefully at the mentioned clones. Trigger had the gall to send him a cheery wave before grabbing an apple from the bin. The blonde clone sighed as he stacked the dishes.

"Why am I not surprised?" Jaing grabbed the towel. "I wash, you dry?"

"I'm not opposed to it," Rex shrugged. He started drying the dishes that Jaing washed. The Null had found that he liked doing simple things like this. It kept his mind off of fear and the unknown. Whilst Jaing was not a worrier, he was a little bit nervous. It was a learned habit. You got into those after you lived as a slave on Rhea. Parts of that city were nice and others... not so much. As a slave, Jaing had had no rights. He could have been bent over by a passing merchant and no one would have cared. Or stopped to help, really.

_Such as life. I'm out of that, anyways._

It still galled him, though. Jaing had always liked performing simple, repetitive tasks. It was a Null thing, he thought. Kal Skirata had noticed and used that to calm them down after a trying day. Like seeing the failed Alpha-class of clones lined up and shot. Murphy, Jaing hoped some of them got away. Those were some good boys and they were killed on orders of the Kaminoans. Life was not fair. Jaing had learned that one long, long ago. He had come to grips with it now.

"I think we're almost done." Rex turned away. He didn't close his eyes, but Jaing could tell he wanted too.

"That's good," Jaing nodded. He wiped his hands off on a semi-dry towel. "Is it okay if I sit with Cody?"

Rex looked at him like he was stupid. "Why would I stop you from sitting with that **wreck** of a clone?! Saint Murphy knows he needs the support!"

"Just asking. Not everyone takes well to me," Jaing shrugged. He did consider himself Mandalorian, after all. Maybe after this hell was over, he'd go to Mandalore. He thought he could live there. It wouldn't be such a stretch from shipboard life, after all. He could take Cody, too. Assuming the man wanted to leave Obi-Wan. If he didn't, well, Jaing wouldn't force them to separate. The Empire had done that already.

"He needs his _vode_ ," Rex sighed. "I...don't know what they did to him, but I'm betting it wasn't good."

"It was the pfassking **Empire**. What makes you think he'd get TLC from _them_?!"

Under the Empire, brothers were lucky if they weren't shot. Jaing had been lucky he wasn't put down.

Rex sighed. Jaing knew he'd seen things no one should see in the course of the war. Now he was free, with a Jedi Knight as his girl friend and leading a crew of clones. That had to be a step up, right? Rex had to like his new life better, right? There was no danger of reconditioning here. And Jaing had seen the brothers who were reconditioned. Some got the sickness from the drugs used to put you under during the first part.  Others died. You never could tell if the process would take or not.

"Sometimes, you have to hope they have a heart," Rex sighed. He looked back at the huddled man. Obi-Wan had grabbed him a thing of peppermint tea and some lemon cookies. Cody was slumped over the couch.

But it was a vain hope, Jaing thought. The Empire was as heartless as it was mechanical.

He sat beside the slumped over clone. "Hullo, Cody."

"Hi." Cody didn't look up. Instead, he stared at the mug. "I'm-I'm sorry for lying to you."

"I'm not holding anything against you," Jaing murmured. He moved so that Cody could rest against his side. He left the tea and cookies alone. Those were Cody's. Not his. "It's not your fault, _vod_."

Cody shook his head, but said nothing. For that, Jaing was grateful.

_**Vi cuyir vode.** _

 


	34. Time to Ride

As much as Ahsoka wanted to stay on Tatooine with Obi-Wan, she knew they had to go. As much as she didn't want to leave Cody, she knew where he needed to stay. Ahsoka wouldn't be able to help him. He needed training, but so did Slick and Sara. She couldn't toss him aside and her padawan needed her. Cody was damaged. She had seventeen other clones to deal with and couldn't take care of him. Cody deserved better. If she couldn't handle him, Obi-Wan could.

"Thank you." Ahsoka took Obi-Wan's hand and ducked her head. "I'm not sure how to say it, but thank you."

_You've saved his life._

"You just given me a damaged clone." Obi-Wan crossed his arms over his chest, glaring at the Togruta woman. Ahsoka just smiled in return. "You need to tell Rex."

"I'm fin, Obi-Wan. Seriously." Ahsoka fixed him with the look that made Blaze back off from Kasey. Honestly, those two fought like cats and dogs. "I'll be fine for awhile. And...I need advice for dealing with a padawan. Her name is Sara...and she's Boil's daughter."

"He may not be dead," Obi-Wan gently said. "I know of several more _vode_ like Cody. If he's like Cody, and I feel that he is, we need to find Numa."

Ahsoka swore under her breath. She glanced over her shoulder at the _Crouching Tiger_. Common sense told her this was a bad idea. Even more common sense told her that Boil would be screaming when she found him. She didn't think she could justify dragging Numa into more of a mess with clones. The Togruta woman sighed as she looked back at Obi-Wan. Sara needed her family. Even though the girl was playing with Slick on the sand dunes. It was so rare to see the scarred man smile. He seemed to enjoy this, playing with Sara.

"Look, 'Soka!" Sara came running from the sand dune. She slipped a little and Ahsoka saw Slick steady her with the Force. He nodded slightly before shaking his head. "Slick can do levitating, too!"

"I tried to tell her that it wasn't a good idea," Slick sighed. He jogged to keep up with her and corralled Sara towards the ship. "Thank you, Master Kenobi. He...he needs you. And we can't help."

Obi-Wan ducked his head. "It's Obi-Wan. And thank you."

" _Jate oya'karir_ , _vod_ ," Slick managed. He caught Sara's hand and started walking back to the ship. "Let's go back to our bunks, hmm? And let the adults talk?"

"Will you tell me another story, _kar'taylir darasuum Ba'vodu_?" Sara asked. " _Gedet'ye_?"

Ahsoka smiled when Slick pressed Sara's nose, a slight smile on his face.

"Using _Mando'a_ doesn't make you any cuter, _evaar'la dala_ ," Slick smiled. But he still picked her up and made the girl squeal in delight. Slick laughed again, joy on his features. The young Twi'lek girl grabbed his loose shirt and yelled in delight as he spun her around.

"He would have made a good creche guard," Obi-Wan sighed. He turned away from the laughing clone. "It's...a shame."

"It is." Ahsoka wondered if she wanted to deal with the mess reconditioning left. She'd had an up front look at what that did to Tup. And poor man...he'd been tortured. The sickness should have killed him. Fives, Murphy bless him, had nursed the man back to health. Tup hadn't meant to shoot Luminara. He'd been staggered from the sickness. The blaster had been Fives' and they had been escaping the Zygerrians. Ahsoka still felt sickened that she'd missed the abuse and torture the clones went through.

"Get Numa first," Obi-Wan advised. "I can feel Boil through the Force, along with Gree and several others. Gree is on a collision course with a crew of commandos and Rogue Command. Either he makes it or he doesn't. Boil...was a pet of Vader's."

_He might not have been abused as bad as Cody was._

Ahsoka caught the unspoken words. She smiled and turned to leave. "I'll find him, Obi-Wan. Don't worry--I'll get him and his little dog, too!"

Of all of them, Rex chuckled and caught her in a kiss. "You need to lay off the old holos."

"I love you," Ahsoka murmured. And she really meant it.

"I know." Rex took her hand as they walked back to the _Crouching Tiger_. "I know."


	35. A Bad Idea

Something scratched  at his skin, but he ignored it. HE would always know, because HE knew everything. Like what Boil was thinking, like when he tried to remembered what had happened **before**. Because **before** was bad and Boil wanted to be **good** , thank you very much. Though sometimes **before** made him feel good. Like when...a green skinned girl...hugged him and called him nerra. Whatever that meant. Boil shoved the memory to the back of his mind. **Good** slaves got fed and Boil had felt the pangs of hunger for days. HE sometimes did that, with hold the food until you caved.

The problem was, Boil wasn't sure how he'd been bad.

He hated going to Rhea. It was a mess and you got shot at all the time. Rogue Command tended to piss the Imperials off. They knew Riyo tended to operate her group out of an old freighter. The hulk wasn't good for much, but the TIE pilots said that that thing had mean cannons. That, and a good gunner or two. The best thing about old freighters was the thick hide they had. You could shoot at them all day without breaking through. Boil would know that because they had tried.

_Those old ships have hide like scrap iron._

Something rustled above them. Boil swore into his mike and gestured for the other troopers to find him. They were looking for an escaped slave. CT-2224, the man was. Xelian as HE called him.  Boil would have given _anything_ to be as pampered as 2224 was. Getting to eat meat, a rarity often not given to _mere slaves like Boil_ , was a great privilege.

"We need to be careful." He covered the rusted iron balcony with his blaster rifle. Nothing moved. A few of the shinies laughed at him, but Boil silenced them with his hand. He ignored them, looking for the source of the noise. His belly grumbled in protest.

"Oh, that you do." A green skinned Twi'lek woman slipped into the orange light. A deadly looking blaster rested in her hands. She'd covered her lekku with a simple hood and darkness gleamed in her violet eyes. Boil gestured for his men to step back. The woman hissed at him and jerked. "I've killed my master. I'll kill you, too!"

"We'll get out of the way." Boil inclined his head.

The woman crossed her arms and looked at him. "Yeah, sure you will. Come back when Rogue Command is roasting your asses."

"Rogue Command?" Boil didn't take off his helm, though he would have _dearly_ loved to get a good look at the woman's face. Murphy, she was hot.

"Yeah...three doors down. The odd-eyed clone and Riyo." The woman grinned and held out her comm. "Say hello to the Rogues for me!"

"Get down!" Boil yelled. He knocked a man in the ribs to make him fall. In that instant, a hail of blaster fire came raining down from the rooftops. Boil swallowed his terror. He grabbed his blaster and brought it up.

_**Damn** this helm! You can't see out of it!_

A blue skinned woman, holding a deadly blaster, darted into the alley. Boil swore vividly and he brought up his weapon. A massive yellow Zabrak, wielding a battle axe, sliced a man in two. Blood spattered against the white stone wall. It dripped down the duracrete and the smell turned Boil's stomach. He jumped backwards and aimed a shot at the Twi'lek woman's head. She spun and threw a glitter bomb White light exploded from the device and stunned the troopers.

The woman dropped down on his chest. She was small, lithe, her eyes burned with a strange fire. A wicked looking knife appeared in her first and she popped it under his helm. Boil swallowed as he looked into her eyes. Violet eyes narrowed as she glared at him.

"I should kill you," she hissed. "You and **all** of them! You _let_ them make my life hell! Just because I'm a _pfassking Twi'lek_!"

Boil tried to push back. "I don't know you!"

She froze and popped his helm. He looked at her good for the first time, at the wildness in her gaze. "I...but you're _dead_! I saw-I saw-I saw Vader kill you!"

He flinched. "Don't talking about HIM!"

"Oh, Maker..." the woman dragged him away from the raging battle, away from the sparring men. Boil keened as he watched the Rogues slaughter his troops. She cradled his head in her lap, the blaster at her side. Boil sobbed. He didn't fight her, slaves **never** fought their Masters, but he didn't know what to do. "Boil. It's me, Numa. Don't you remember? Don't you remember me and Sara?"

Boil shook his head. He touched her face, wishing he could comfort the woman. Comfort **Numa**. "I'm sorry," he managed. "But I've never seen you before today."


	36. Half-Healed Wounds

Grabbing Boil away from the stormtroopers probably ranked up there in the spectrum of bad ideas. For one thing, this was an active battle and Numa hadn't seen a firefight since the Clone Wars. For another, she was just coming off of eight years as a slave. **Finally** , that Imperial son of a bitch had slipped up. He'd left his blaster so Numa could see it. She'd grabbed it--and proceeded to shoot him in the face. So what was the first thing every escaped slave did? Go running for the _Battle Scar_ and hide out on a rusted out freighter for several weeks.

_Thank the gods for Riyo Chuchi!_

"Get your ass over here!" Riyo spun around from where she was taking on three troopers with a darksaber. It had been a gift from Darth Maul. Where he got it was anyone's guess. Numa kissed Boil on the forehead and bounded for the battle. Her stolen blaster was up and blasting before she could think. One of the other rogues yelled in pain as he dropped. Numa ignored him. Right now, her priority was Boil. He had saved her life, she could save his.

"Look out! Grenades!" Numa dove beneath a pile of crates. Someone yelled as the first barrage of gas grenades came their way. Savage roared and raced forwards. His axe went flashing down and he sliced a man in two. The Twi'lek woman leapt over the crates. She shot a man in the head. He went backwards in a heap. Someone cursed and Numa looked over. The crazy man, the odd-eyed clone, was cackling as he started shooting holes in the wall above the bucketheads.

"Chopper! Hit the _idiots_! Not **the wall**!" Riyo yelled.

That was when the wall chose to collapse on the stormtrooper's heads. Six men were buried beneath the rubble.

Riyo lowered her blood spattered darksaber. "Or, you know, that works too."

"Not exactly what we were planning?" Savage rumbled. The big Zabrak raised his head. He cut an imposing figure, all bulky muscle and power. Then again, he was a nice guy... when he wasn't fighting in a battle. Savage had picked up healing from his mate, Neva.

"Him dropping the wall?" Riyo sighed and took the blaster.

"Hey!" Chopper pouted.

Riyo ignored the defect and turned to the crates. "Or Lando actually coming through for us?"

"Take your pick," Savage smiled. He turned to Numa, something in his odd amber gaze. "You dragged a trooper out of the fight. Why?"

And here it started. Numa had no problem lighting out to the Outlands if they wouldn't let her keep Boil. She returned Savage's glare, putting her hands on her hips. Riyo chuckled softly. There Numa was--a slip of a Twi'lek woman, trying to stare down a man three times her weight and a head taller. Savage shook his head and glared right back.

"His name is Boil," Numa lightly said. "I'm invoking the rights of claim. Like you did, Riyo. Boil is _mine_."

Savage swore under his breath. "Riyo?"

"I sort of did do that," Riyo snapped.

Numa turned her fierce gaze up on Riyo. Both women looked at each other. Riyo had the power of a ruthless rebel leader. She was used to being in command--and dealing with a pack of half-mad rogues. She could even mold them into a cohesive unit. Some of the time. Numa had been a slave and sent her daughter off to an uncertain future. She had plenty of rage and fury at her command. And she'd been taught how to use her weapons by a certain clone trooper named Boil.

"We're all equal here," Numa growled. "Or so you said. So I get to claim Boil like you claimed Chopper."

Savage actually opened the crate. "Lando came through. We need to get a hold of Jarrus and co. WE have their blaster rifles."

"Fine." Riyo stepped back. Numa didn't press the point. "But if he starts climbing more damn girders, he's **out.** With Chopper!"

Numa bowed her head. "Thanks, Riyo. I'll take care of him." She helped Boil stand up. He touched one of the bloody scores on the side of his face. Numa hissed as she looked at it. Savage rolled his eyes as he started to leave. Numa grabbed a packet of blasters and tossed several to Boil. Thank the gods he actually caught the hint and followed her quietly. Though that might have been due to all the blood on her companions. And herself.

They had totally kicked Imperial ass. It felt good to be the one fighting and ripping the bad guys a new one.

She brushed Boil's shoulder with her free hand. "Love, we're going home."

Boil looked at her like she was crazy. Numa felt her heart breaking. She could plainly see all the half-healed wounds on his soul. That...would take some healing. Numa only hoped she could do it.


	37. Things Don't Always Go As Planned

"Rex! Ahsoka! Come quickly! Trigger fell down the ladder!"

Ahsoka groaned and rolled over. She didn't want to get up, but her duties as Captain of the _Crouching Tiger_ called. Sometimes, you had to go and deal with the idiots who felt that it was a good idea to go horsing around on the stairs. Not that Ahsoka had never done that, but she had had the Force to catch her.

Beside her, Rex groaned. "I thought we told them **not** to play monkey?"

"It's Trigger." Ahsoka stood up and threw the clothes she'd tossed aside last night. She swore under her breath as she felt a little stiffer today than she normally did. Thank the gods that this ship was mostly filled with males. Savage might have been able to tell with a glance, but he was a healer. He dealt with stuff like that all the time. But her boys (with the exception of Slick, but he had the Force) couldn't tell. Neither could Rex. "He's crazy."

"I'll agree to that," Rex muttered. He brushed a kiss against her lekku. "Be careful, okay? I don't want to go back to Rhea."

On Rhea, they had all seen an emaciated clone sold to a pleasure house. Ahsoka had been outbid. Even though she knew you couldn't save them all, she still tried.

Ahsoka hugged him and blinked back the tears. "We have to try and rescue them, Rex. They don't...deserve..."

"I know." Rex touched her forehead, his hazel eyes concerned. He had been torn up by the sight. Seeing a brother like that, so helplessly skinny and so broken, had hurt everyone. Ahsoka knew you couldn't save them all, so you saved the ones you could. "But what if Boil is crazy?"

"It's a chance we have to take." Ahsoka brushed a kiss against Rex's forehead and stood up. She checked her comm. According to Kasey, they were five minutes out of Rhea. Ahsoka **dreaded** going and facing Riyo Chuchi again. Murphy knew the two women weren't exactly fond of each other. Some things were best left in the Clone Wars. Maybe that friendship was one of them.

She made her way to the _Tiger'_ s aft regions. Not much was back there on the ship, beyond a small turret. There shouldn't have been anyone up here. Ahsoka shivered and rubbed her forearms. She looked around this section of the ship, noting the grimy walls and bulkheads. She didn't like this, not one bit. Her instincts rubbed against her, warning her that something was off. Not in a bad way, just that the others were hiding something.

Trigger groaned from where he'd dragged himself to the junction ahead of the stairs. "Took you long enough."

"Haven't we talked about you monkeying around on the stairs before?" Ahsoka sighed. She helped Trigger up and ran her hands over the wound. Trigger grimaced in pain. He didn't attempt to fight her, which was good because Ahsoka had learned how to treat broken legs in the Clone Wars. It was actually pretty easy. Though it was sad that she had learned how to do so at an early age.

"Yeah? So?" Trigger asked. His face was ashen, she noticed, and he blinked sweat out of his eyes. "Hurts, Soka!"

"Of course it does," Ahsoka murmured. She finished healing his leg and stood up. Trigger followed her on shaky legs. The uneasy feeling returned, followed by a long look at Trigger. He glanced up at the stairs. "What's up there, Trigger?"

"Nothing," was the rapid response.

Ahsoka gave him a long look. "You're not convincing me."

"Look, maybe me and a few brothers have a whiskey operation here," Trigger lied.

"Trigger. You don't drink," Ahsoka reminded him. She left the still ashen faced _vod_ and looked up the stairs. The Togruta woman frowned, looking up at the stairs. "You left a light on."

"Karking **hell** ," Trigger softly said. He started after her. Ahsoka stopped him with a look. Trigger seemed to see what was going through her mind and let the matter drop. Ahsoka narrowed her blue eyes as she slipped up the stairs. As she'd thought, Trigger had left the overhead light on. Her gaze scanned over the room.

She wasn't looking, so she almost missed the huddled clone on the floor. Frightened eyes, green rather than hazel, looked up at hers. The clone was wearing a clean tunic and he looked fairly skinny, but healthy. The man swallowed and looked down. Judging from the blankets scattered around him, he'd been staying there for awhile.

_The clone on Rhea had green eyes..._

"Trigger **didn't** ," Ahsoka breathed. "Who are you?"

"I have no name, ma'am," he numbly said. He seemed too respectful, his eyes locked upon the floor. Ahsoka frowned.

"Are you hungry?"

"No," he softly replied. "I'm fine, really. Trigger...stole me...I'm alive. I'm okay."

She was going to name him Hazard, but first guessed that he needed to come down. After, of course, she got onto Trigger.

 


	38. Hazard

Jaing grabbed the bowl of hash from the refrigeration unit and made his way down to the last turret. He hoped Trigger knew what he was doing. Because, damn him, you couldn't hide a brother and just expect it to get better. That man needed medical care. That was why Jaing, as the token Null, had grabbed his medical kit. The new clone needed his food and he needed his shots. CT-2387 had said he'd spent a month or two in the stews. That was more than enough for Jaing to grab the shots from the unit in the med-bay.

"Trigger? _Pehea cuyir cuun vod_?" He pushed his way through the ship, keeping the hash out of various people's grasps. Kasey in particular. Murphy, Jaing loved all of his brothers, but they got a little annoying. But he could live with it. He could deal.

A very irritated looking Ahsoka Tano stopped him. "You knew?"

"Knew what?" Jaing tried to keep his face mostly innocently. But he took her look and sighed. "Okay, yeah, I did. But I wanted to help Trigger out. I don't always trust him to feed an injured brother, you know?"

"Captain!" Someone's voice crackled over the shipboard intercomm. "Rhea wants our docking credits!"

"Give it to them!" Ahsoka turned away, looking over at Jaing. The clone shrugged. "I'm calling him Hazard. He has _green_ eyes, Jaing! **Green**!"

Jaing shrugged as he walked past the Captain. "Yeah? So? Chopper has one hazel and one blue. It's not _that_ uncommon." Defects were far more common than the Kamies liked to admit. Force! Jaing was considered a defect! So was Smokey! He was a little near sited. Those were things you could hide, though. Jaing had seen a trainer shoot a newly minted shiny in the head. His only crime was that he'd been born with four fingers on one hand when he was supposed to have five. And clones who got legs blown off **were** put down.

"Chopper is crazy." Ahsoka helped the still shaky on his feet clone down the stairs. Jaing watched the frail, skinny brother. "Hello, Hazard."

"Is my name Hazard?" he softly asked. Ahsoka nodded. Hazard looked at her like she had hung the moon. Ahsoka smiled kindly as she took him over to Jaing. Trigger, by the way, made the "woo-woo loco" sign as he loped off.

"Yep." Jaing gestured for Hazard to sit down. Hazard looked at Jaing with some trepidation. " _Ni copad at Gaa'tayl gar_."

Ahsoka watched him. "You'll help Trigger clean out the engine bay and hose down the hold when we're in port."

Hazard looked at the floor. "Am I going to have to go back?' he softly whispered.

"No...this isn't your fault."

Jaing ignored her as he took out the first shot. Hazard visibly flinched back. Jaing quieted him with a gentle touch. The normal still whimpered after Jaing gave him the first shot, just a random virus cocktail. He had a series of three he needed to get. "This next one should help you if you got something from the stews."

Hazard nodded, his face white. "Please...just do it..."

The Null nodded. He gave the shot as quickly as he could before moving on to the next one. "Ahsoka? Could you give him the hash? Hazard has been quite good about this."

Ahsoka Force-levitated the bowl into Hazard's hands. He gave her a look of awe. The Togruta woman offered a smile as she walked away.

"Okay, Hazard, I want you and Trigger to go to the bay," Jaing instructed. He would go find the dish soap.


	39. Rhea

If you asked Rex, Rhea was almost hell given coordinates. He had seen that brother sold and was almost pathetically grateful that Trigger had stolen him from whatever Master he had been given. Rex had seen too many brothers killed for him to ever really get used to it. And it hurt, oh how it hurt, watching his brothers be brought in and sold like animals. All because someone could, too. A clone had no real choice.

Maybe that would get better one day.

He blinked the Rhean sun out of his eyes, walking beside Ahsoka. They had gotten a hold of Riyo. They had Boil and Numa. As much as Ahsoka hated it, they were going to give Sara back to her family. It was only best.

Ahsoka took his hand as they walked. "I have something to tell you. I've...been meaning to do this for awhile, actually."

Rex looked at her. Beside them, Slick walked. He seemed to take this all in stride, looking around, trying to tell who the dangers were. As much as they had fought before, Rex could honestly say that he liked the man. They had gotten away from the rivalries of old, away from the days when both men had been slaves. And...Slick knew it. He had known it and told the others what had happened.

_And he almost died for it._

"Yeah?" Rex asked. He brought her hand up and brushed a kiss against her smooth knuckles. "I love you, you know."

"I'm pregnant." Ahsoka took a deep breath as she touched his shoulders. "I...thought you would like to know."

Rex's jaw dropped as he looked at her, remembering all of their death defying fights. All of the seedy places they had visited, all of the bad food they had eaten. Could he have been killing his own child? "You...didn't tell me? Why?"

"Because I was scared," she admitted. Ahsoka smiled sadly, her blue eyes glistening with tears. "Because I wasn't sure how well you would react to it."

Rex was almost hyperventilating. He was going to be a father. He caught Ahsoka in a crushing hug before kissing her with all of the passion a clone had. Which, needless to say, was quite a lot. "Thank you," he whispered. " **Thank you**."

Slick cleared his throat. "Are we quite done with the PDA? Because we have a few things we need to deal with."

Ahsoka laughed and caught him in a hug. The man yelped, but he visibly softened when Sara grabbed him around the waist. The clone actually smiled, then. He looked so much better than he often did, so full of fear and anguish. It hadn't been Slick's choice, what he was turned into. He had done what he had to do in order to survive. Rex doubted he would do much better. He looked over at Ahsoka. She smiled back at him. Like Cody, Rex had a reason to go on. He would have children. He would have everything he needed.

Even if he could have used a little bit more warning about the children. All of a sudden, staying on Rhea sounded better all the time.

And Boil cried and smiled for the first time when he saw his daughter.


End file.
